Ask A Scientist© Engineering Archive

Index Key:   ENG019
Author:      janet moy
Subject:     Earthquake engineering.
What engineering questions were raised from the Kobe earthquake?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      wildman jackson
I suppose the basic engineering question was why did not the buildings that
were supposed to be earthquake-proof, not.  I am sure there will be a lot of
research done on this subject.  From what I hear, when the quake hit, the
ground underneath the building shifted about two feet in less than one
second.  Obviously, if that ground was underneath a skyscraper, it would
have the same effect as pulling the carpet out from underneath your feet. 
Those new buildings were built with dampers at the bottom to prevent much of
this, and the majority of buildings lost were older.  Much research will be
done on the type of oscillations recorded from that quake, and how that
effects the buildings.