EQ Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Earthquakes are natural phenomena that occur when massive portions of
the earth move. During an earthquake, infrastructures collapse due to the intense
stress applied by the movement of the soil below the base of the building. An
infrastructure that collapses due to an earthquake whilst occupied by people is
already a disaster by itself.
As what happened in Kobe in 1995, it was struck by a 6.9-magnitude
earthquake that ruined 150,000 properties, leaving 300,000 homeless and 6,300
people lost their lives (Kohlstedt, 2017).
Also, earthquakes during this century would be the 7.0-magnitude
earthquake in Haiti that killed an estimated 316,000 people in 2010, claiming
more lives as a percentage of a country’s population than any recorded disaster.
On the 10th of February 2017, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.7
shook the island of Mindanao. The epicenter is located 16 km offshore northwest
of Surigao City, Surigao Strait at a depth of 10 km. 300 houses in Surigao del
Norte were damaged following the earthquake and a total of seven bridges
collapsed, isolating the provincial city of San Francisco. There were at least
eleven towns affected and all were experiencing power outages (Phivolcs, 2017).
Due to the lack of real earthquake simulation it resulted into buildings
insufficiently braced for lateral loads or the shaking side to side. The researchers
need to address these problems since the number of developing infrastructures

2
are increasing rapidly and more people could perish if an earthquake would
occur.
To create a design which may be strong enough to withstand an
earthquake, we should first know how an earthquake affects the structure of an
infrastructure. One way of understanding how an infrastructure behaves under
stress from an earthquake would be to create an earthquake simulation. By doing
so, it will help us to understand infrastructure and earthquake behavior, which will
act as a catalyst for engineers to create new designs for infrastructures to
withstand earthquakes.
With the number of deaths that earthquakes cause globally, nationally and
locally, the researchers came up with a study entitled “Earthquake Simulator
using Secondary Seismograph Data”, a full-scale shake table that processed the
frequency, type, and size of the ground’s motion in reference to the statistics and
data gathered on previous earthquakes. With this study, it will help engineers and
engineering students specifically, those in the Civil Engineering and Architecture
discipline to understand and to learn how infrastructures behave under an
earthquake.
Research Objectives
The main purpose of this study was to create an earthquake simulator
using secondary seismograph data that can be used in experiments or studies
related to infrastructure design. The simulator interpreted the seismograph data
into a full-scale earthquake.

3
Specifically, the simulator could (a) aid civil engineering students to
conduct tests in order to determine the proper materials and designs of
infrastructures where it can stand the devastating effects of earthquakes, (b)
mimic the Shearing Waves (North to South) and Surface Waves (East to West)
at a full-scale magnitude, and (c) to simulate notable earthquakes.
Review of Related Literature
An earthquake is one of the most dangerous and destructive natural
occurrences known to man. It is the shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting
from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere and creates seismic
wave. Earthquakes have caused the dramatic collapse and destruction of
freeways, bridges and other structures built according to stringent earthquake-
resistant design codes. Numerous major earthquakes had already happened in
countries located all over the world, including the Philippines; examples are the
1968 Casiguran and 1976 Moro Gulf earthquakes. The devastating effects of
earthquakes prompted the interests of the researchers to the construction of
shake tables (Sabillo, 2013).
According to the book “Earthquake Engineering Structural Dynamics”, the
earliest known hand-powered shake table was constructed in Japan at the end of
the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the developments had
moved to Stanford University with the introduction of an electric motor to produce
a more refined oscillatory motion in one direction (Severn, 2010)
The study of ’Shake Table’ (Stauffer, 1997) stated that MIT researchers
and their collaborators prepared a conceptual design for a 30-by-30-meter

4
“shake table” that can subject a full-scale building or other structure of the forces
of a real earthquake. This allowed them to study the durability of a building and
improve the building’s structure and design. However, the researchers estimated
that operating the table would produce forces equivalent to those of a 4.5
magnitude earthquake in their region, which then led them to develop the half-
scale prototype shake table.
Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Professor of the Cornell School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering recognized that his students were immersed in theory
and could benefit from a dose of practical application. An earthquake simulator
table is a very big leap towards engaging students to hands on approach of
learning. Practical learning is very essential since students would be able to
develop the skill to apply the theories into real life. This skill is somewhat lacking
in modern times. Many students can be very good with theories, but very bad at
applying it into real life situations.
Moreover, other study outlines that a shake table is an important teaching
tool, useful in presenting to aspiring architects and engineers how particular
structures respond during seismic events (Brown, 2007). “Having the ability to
simulate an earthquake gives us much better understanding of building
performance,” says Professor Shirley Dyke from Purdue University. Professor
Dyke is the driving force behind UCIST – University Consortium on Instructional
Shake Tables she helped start in 1999. The main goal of UCIST is to bring
earthquake simulators to classrooms – so that students early in their
undergraduate courses get a chance to develop understanding of structural

5
dynamics and controls principles through hands-on experiments in addition to
theory. “Hands-on experiments seem to be particularly effective for teaching
basic concepts in dynamics and control,” continues Prof. Dyke, “they are
attractive supplement to the rather conventional content of several courses.”
Conceptual Framework
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
Conversion of Earthquake
Seismograph Data
digital data to movement
motion simulated
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Earthquake Simulator
The figure above shows the conceptual framework of the Earthquake
Simulator. The inputs of the simulator were the seismograph data that was
gathered from past notable earthquakes. The data consisted of the Shear and
Surface wave seismograph – which was then converted into a code readable by
the microcontroller. The microcontroller sent signals to the motors to move in
such a way that simulated the chosen earthquake. The motion, which was the
output of the simulator, mimicked the movement of the earthquake at a full-scale.
The simulator had two linear actuators, one for each axis, which moved
independently since an earthquake can have shear and surface waves at the
same time.

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CHAPTER 1

Background of the Study

Earthquakes are natural phenomena that occur when massive portions of

infrastructure that collapses due to an earthquake whilst occupied by people is

already a disaster by itself.

As what happened in Kobe in 1995, it was struck by a 6.9-magnitude

people lost their lives (Kohlstedt, 2017).

Also, earthquakes during this century would be the 7.0-magnitude

earthquake in Haiti that killed an estimated 316,000 people in 2010, claiming

more lives as a percentage of a country’s population than any recorded disaster.

On the 10th of February 2017, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.7

shook the island of Mindanao. The epicenter is located 16 km offshore northwest

Due to the lack of real earthquake simulation it resulted into buildings

need to address these problems since the number of developing infrastructures

To create a design which may be strong enough to withstand an

earthquake, we should first know how an earthquake affects the structure of an

infrastructure. One way of understanding how an infrastructure behaves under

stress from an earthquake would be to create an earthquake simulation. By doing

act as a catalyst for engineers to create new designs for infrastructures to

locally, the researchers came up with a study entitled “Earthquake Simulator

engineering students specifically, those in the Civil Engineering and Architecture

discipline to understand and to learn how infrastructures behave under an

The main purpose of this study was to create an earthquake simulator

using secondary seismograph data that can be used in experiments or studies

related to infrastructure design. The simulator interpreted the seismograph data

into a full-scale earthquake.

Specifically, the simulator could (a) aid civil engineering students to

conduct tests in order to determine the proper materials and designs of

infrastructures where it can stand the devastating effects of earthquakes, (b)

at a full-scale magnitude, and (c) to simulate notable earthquakes.

Review of Related Literature

An earthquake is one of the most dangerous and destructive natural

wave. Earthquakes have caused the dramatic collapse and destruction of

freeways, bridges and other structures built according to stringent earthquake-

resistant design codes. Numerous major earthquakes had already happened in

earthquakes prompted the interests of the researchers to the construction of

shake tables (Sabillo, 2013).

According to the book “Earthquake Engineering Structural Dynamics”, the

moved to Stanford University with the introduction of an electric motor to produce

a more refined oscillatory motion in one direction (Severn, 2010)

and their collaborators prepared a conceptual design for a 30-by-30-meter

scale prototype shake table.

Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Professor of the Cornell School of Civil and

Environmental Engineering recognized that his students were immersed in theory

and could benefit from a dose of practical application. An earthquake simulator

table is a very big leap towards engaging students to hands on approach of

learning. Practical learning is very essential since students would be able to

applying it into real life situations.

Moreover, other study outlines that a shake table is an important teaching

tool, useful in presenting to aspiring architects and engineers how particular

simulate an earthquake gives us much better understanding of building

performance,” says Professor Shirley Dyke from Purdue University. Professor

Dyke is the driving force behind UCIST – University Consortium on Instructional

earthquake simulators to classrooms – so that students early in their

undergraduate courses get a chance to develop understanding of structural

dynamics and controls principles through hands-on experiments in addition to

theory. “Hands-on experiments seem to be particularly effective for teaching

attractive supplement to the rather conventional content of several courses.”

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT