Project Summary
In this project, we were tasked to make an earthquake-proof building in groups of 4. The first part of the process was making a prototype that fit these requirements finished in 50 minutes, minimum of 60 cm tall, did not go over budget ($60), and no prior time to research or making a design. After completing this prototype, we tested it on a shake table meant to simulate an earthquake. After reviewing the positives and negatives of our first design, we had to research and create a plan to attempt to solve the problems with the prototype. Earthquakes are a big problem for places near plate boundaries and cause earthquakes to happen often.
A vital example of this is Nepal in 2015. Nepal experienced a 7.6 magnitude earthquake which damaged and destroyed buildings. Many people were injured or killed by the falling rubble. This also left many homeless. 2 years after this earthquake, less than 5% of the buildings had been rebuilt, and many still lived in temporary homes. This is why earthquake-proof buildings would be very beneficial in areas like this, to ensure the safety and stability of the people that live there.
Engineering process
The engineering process is a sequence of steps that engineers take to help develop and test potential solution to challenges. There are 7 key steps in the engineering process. The first step is to Define the problem that you need to solve. The second is to brainstorm to generate new ideas. The third is to research possible solutions to the problem. The forth step is to design a solution based on the prior brainstorming and research. The fifth step is to create a prototype. The sixth step is to test and evaluate your prototype. The seventh step is to improve your design which means that you go back through your steps and see the flaws in your current design and see what you could do to possible solve them. I think as a group we could have improved on the research park of the engineering process, as we had limited ideas and features in our design. I would have liked to add a bit more complexity to our design to try and make a more effective structure. I think as a group we could have also worked on the improving stage so we could go back and spend more time on other parts of the engineering process.
