Overview
During Term 4, we were given the task of creating an earthquake resistant building to be able to withstand an earthquake using spaghetti and bluetack. There were many requirements we had to follow including it to be quick and easy to assemble, have a minimum height of 60cm and a maximum base of 30cm x 30cm, has a flat platform on the top level of at least 5 cm x 5 cm, remains standing after an earthquake, as simulated by shaking a table for 10 seconds, is constructed from the materials supplied by your teacher and costs less than $60 to build, given the material costs listed below.
Engineering Process
There were many steps that went towards the engineering process. We first had to assign who was doing what. We assigned specific roles to suit our strengths which we talked more about in the stile. I was assigned project manager and speaker, and Danielle was assigned reporter and equipment manager. Then we moved on to designing and researching. We researched the most effective ways to create an earthquake resistant building and anything that might be useful to know for our structure. We found that there were many techniques used including cross bracing which we used in our building. After designing and drawing up our prototype we finally got to building. It took us many tries to get to final product, but we got there. A few main issues we ran into was that our foundation/base for the building wasn’t secure which affected everything else. Another issue was that we didn’t cross brace properly, so some spaghetti pieces broke off. When it came to create our second structure, we took all these problems into mind and our structure was held together very well. For the future I would focus on the design and prototyping process more thoroughly as well as using all of our mistakes as take away for next time.
Collaboration
For my group I worked in a pair with my partner Danielle. Overall I think we worked extremely well together. We communicated effectively. We listened to each others thoughts and ideas and when there were problems we overcame them through the wheel of ASC capabilities. When it came to assigning roles , we chose each one based on the persons strengths which you can see below.
- Project Manager (Zaina): As a group we allocated myself to be the project manager because I can work well under pressure and duress and I communicate well with my peers. We also feel that I can organize my time quite well and that I will be able make sure everything is on track.
- Speaker (Zaina): As a group we also allocated myself to be the speaker because I communicate well with my peers. I am also quite confident and don’t have a problem with inquiring about anything that I’m not sure about.
- Equipment manager and reporter (Danielle): As a group we allocated Danielle to be the equipment manager and reporter because she’s a very organized person. She can manage her time well so this will come in handy for handing in this assessment on time. She like to keep her workspace neat and tidy, so her being in charge of the equipment will help us to more efficiently complete the task.
Overall I am very happy with how my group dealt with the many obstacles we went through and I think we did a great job on this task.
