CNET has a story giving advance notice on How to watch a major earthquake test shake a six-story building:
A six-story building has been constructed on an outdoor shake table at UCSD with support from federal and state government agencies as well as a number of building industry sponsors. The main sponsor is SWS Panel and Truss, builders of the engineered Mid-Rise Cold-Formed Steel Building Wall Systems used to create the test building.
The test will begin around noon PT and will involving shaking the heck out of the structure and also seeing how it holds up to fire. A drone flying inside the building will provide a video feed of what the shaking looks like from the interior. You can also watch the test via this live web video feed.
There's an old saying, "Scientists have frequently found that two months in the lab can save two hours in the library." In this case, though, I am happy to see that empirical testing is being performed to get actual data about what happens under controlled circumstances. Hopefully, the data gathered can lead to the development of cost-effective buildings that are better able to survive earthquakes. Oh, and if they are open to ideas, I'd suggest they consider playing this music over loudspeakers while conducting the test.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2016, @01:51AM
Seriously now this is nothing but a simulated earthquake shaking a purpose-built structure. It might as well be an effect on a movie set. Everything about the earthquake is fake.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday June 20 2016, @05:22AM
Exactly. If they want to really test a building made of four inches of cold-formed steel, they need to use giants riding mammoths.
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Monday June 20 2016, @01:51AM
Good luck to those going the social engineering route.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2016, @01:54AM
Sounds like a social gathering to me. It soooo exclusive.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Osamabobama on Monday June 20 2016, @06:44PM
It would be more difficult to go back in time than to talk your way into the press corps.
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(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2016, @02:01AM
Watch a Major Earthquake Test Shake a Six-Story Building
Eh, I'll pass this time. A few years ago I watched, from a distance of a few dozen meters, a major earthquake [wikipedia.org] shake a bunch of twelve-to-fifteen-story buildings... Not a fun day to be outside. Or inside, for that matter.
Hmm, you know, if they want to make "buildings that are better able to survive earthquakes", they should first ask some Japanese about it. After all, two millennia of experience can save two months in the lab :)
(Still, there's something to be said about testing in "controlled circumstances". Also, nice usage of drones.)
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Monday June 20 2016, @06:27AM
There's a *lot* to be said for testing under controlled circumstances.
The last time I did a literature search on this was a long time ago, but at least back then the level of ignorance and guesswork was alarming for a life safety issue.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday June 20 2016, @06:36PM
Why bother the Japanese? Why even bother with such a simulation...
We have a whole industry dedicated to Oklahoma into an Earthquake study area, and they're picking up the tab!
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Monday June 20 2016, @02:51AM
Because most people don't understand the scientific need to re-test to ensure what is in the library book is actually *right*.
If you never question what an old book says, you wind up with a bunch of idiotic beliefs...
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Monday June 20 2016, @05:29AM
I see no mention of the strength of the quake they plan to test. They mention a 5.2 quake that occurred a few days before the "test", but no mention if they were planning to go over moment magnitude 8 or over Mercalli intensity 10. I was living pretty close to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that had a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). A 5.2 would get my attention, but I hardly notice anything under that.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2016, @03:10PM
So what is noon PT in UTC?
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Monday June 20 2016, @06:46PM
It's fourteen minutes from ... now! (Minus five days)
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