This project will show you how to make an earthquake shake table to simulate earthquakes at different frequencies. Connect the model with a microcontroller to measure and visualize the earthquake intensity in Mind+. Then you can build earthquake-proof structures and test out their seismic resistance.

Supplies

1 Box & 1 Cardboard

16 Straws

18 Pipe Cleaners

7 Bottle Caps (6 normal sizes, 1 slightly bigger)

4 Bubber Bans

1 Push Pin

1 micro:bit

1 BOSON Smart Science Pack - Earthquake Challenge:

BOSON Mainboard 1IO

BOSON Rotation Sensor

BOSON Motor Controller

BOSON Geared Motor

Step 1: Make the Shake Table

The shake table simulates seismic ground motion during an earthquake. With a rotation sensor, you can change the speed of the motor to generate movement at different frequencies. It will be inspiring to test the effect of short and high-frequency earthquakes on buildings with different heights.

Step 2: Make the Structure

A nature earthquake creates motions on 3 axes, but since our shake table is moving along the same direction, it will be easy to measure the acceleration on the X-axis with a micro:bit, to give you an accurate result of how strong is the earthquake. Fix the micro:bit at the top of the building.

Step 3: Measure the Earthquake Intensity

Plug the micro:bit with your computer, open Mind+, you can visualize the acceleration data to a data graph.

Download the sample program and open it in Mind+. Press the green flag to run the program, it will ask you to input the time you want the data to be captured. Then press the SPACE bar, it will generate a grid automatically. Press A to draw your first piece of data.

Step 4: Earthquake Resistance

There are many ways to create earthquake-proof buildings, the most commonly used for tall buildings might be Tuned Mass Damper (check Taipei 101). I used several screw nuts as weight and suspend them from the top. You might need to test the height and length to get a better result. Add more structures like frames, braces to check how strong is your building.

Step 5: Compare Earthquake-Proof Resistance

Comparing two pieces of data on the same screen, it's obvious to see how effective the earthquake-proof structure is. Press A to draw your first piece of data, when it's done, press B for the second piece.