Building Resilient Structures: The Science and Technology of Earthquake Engineering

Examining infrastructure in seismic zones

Module details

  • Offered to 3rd Year students in Spring term
  • Thursdays 16:00-18:00
  • Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
  • 1-term module worth 5 ECTS  
  • Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore  

This module will provide you with a contextualized overview of the science and technology of structural earthquake engineering. You will reflect on how earthquake engineering relates to different disciplines within society and gain an understanding of the tool’s engineers use to protect infrastructure from earthquakes through a project involving hands-on design, 3D printing and shake-table testing.  

You will learn to identify the socioeconomic, political, and environmental impacts of earthquakes and their influence on seismic resilience. You will be taught how different structures are designed to survive earthquakes, with earthquake shaking table demonstrations to explain their behaviour. You will learn to use your mobile devices to record and study the dynamic behaviour of simple objects/structures. You will also have the opportunity to use drafting software, create physical models using 3D printing technology and remotely participate in the shake-table testing of your models under seismic action. All this will develop your critical thinking, data analysis, and communication skills.  

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year. 

Accordian

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you will better be able to:  

  • Identify the social, economic, political and environmental impacts of earthquake events (and their influence on seismic resilience), and critically appreciate your own professional role in dealing with these  
  • Classify different types of structures, explain how they are designed to survive earthquakes, and understand how structural damage is assessed/managed in the aftermath of earthquakes  
  • Construct a low-cost earthquake shaking table and utilize it to study/improve the behaviour of simple structures made using common materials
  • Apply fundamental concepts of structural dynamics to the design of a small-scale structural model, render drawings using drafting software, develop physical 3D prints of the structural model and perform tests using an earthquake shaking table  
  • Develop and apply your critical thinking, data analysis, and communication skills, through team-work, public engagement, problem-solving, logical decision-making and data collection/evaluation  

Indicative core content

Covered in the course are:   

  • Social, economic, political and environmental impacts of earthquake events  
  • Seismic-resistant structural systems  
  • Post-earthquake damage assessment and management   
  • Lessons learned from previous earthquakes  
  • Social, political, economic and cultural aspects of seismic resilience  
  • Principles of structural dynamics  
  • Principles of seismic risk and vulnerability  
  • Earthquake preparedness and response                                                        
  • Structural design, drafting and experimental testing  

Learning and teaching approach

This module will be taught using:  

  • Online lectures   
  • Computer-aided remote learning exercises and classroom discussions   
  • Videos and animations  
  • Recorded demonstrations  
  • Remote tutorials will be available to provide support   
  • Online multiple-choice quizzes (2-minute drills) and a recap (admit tickets) of what you have learnt from prep work before each online session   

At the end of each remote session, groups will present a major structural failure from an earthquake event (structural stories) and receive live feedback from peers. Marks from quizzes will be posted on the VLE. Your reports and/or multimedia content will be marked and returned with grades and feedback, and the marks from the reflective piece/outreach activity will be posted.  

Assessment

  • Structural dynamics activity using mobile devices (20%)   
  • Multimedia report on 3D printed model testing (40%)  
  • Poster reflective piece or scientific outreach (30%)  
  • Participation in structural stories, admit tickets, and 2- minute drills (10%, formative)  

Key information

  • Requirements: It is compulsory to take an I-Explore module during your degree (you’ll take an I-Explore module in either your 2nd or 3rd year, depending on your department). You are expected to attend all classes and undertake approximately 105 hours of independent study in total during the module. Independent study includes for example reading and preparation for classes, researching and writing coursework assignments, project work and preparing for other assessments
  • I-Explore modules are worth 5 ECTS credit towards your degree; to receive these you will have to pass the module. The numerical mark that you obtain will not be included in the calculation of your final degree result, but it will appear on your transcript
  • This module is designed as an undergraduate Level 6 course
  • This module is offered by the Department of Computing