Simulated quake shakes experimental house

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Click the right arrow to view images of the house that underwent an earthquake test

Scientists hope to learn how to build better houses

July 11, 2000
Web posted at: 5:46 p.m. EDT (2146 GMT)

In this story: Shake, rattle and roll tape Culmination of five months' work RELATED STORIES, SITES

SAN DIEGO -- (CNN) They called it the "ultimate jolt."

And after a furnished wood-frame house underwent about 10 seconds of violent shaking on an earthquake simulator Tuesday, the test lived up to its billing.

VIDEO CNN's Greg LaMotte shows the 'quake' Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     ALSO How to fortify your home against hurricanes

The two-story structure survived quite nicely, thank you. But book shelves crashed to the floor, dishes crashed and light fixtures swung wildly.

The experiment was designed to match the strength of the powerful Northridge earthquake that rocked the Los Angeles area in 1994. Fifty-one people died in that quake, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale and caused $20-billion in damage.

"I'm pretty amazed at how well the structure held up,'' said John Hall, project manager for the Woodframe Project at the University of California San Diego.

Hall attributed the durability of the structure to the stucco exterior and the interior drywall. That, he said, is good news for most homeowners, since most houses in the Southern California area use those materials.

Listen to project manager John Hall describe the importance of the test for future house construction ( 160 K/15 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Shake, rattle and roll tape

Tuesday's test was the first time a fully completed furnished house was put on the "shake table." The hydraulic simulator rumbled and pitched as cameras and 300 sensors recorded the event.

The house was constructed in accordance with current California building codes and includes a stucco exterior, gypsum interior walls and a tile roof. Inside, the house was equipped with standard home appliances, including refrigerator, water heater, shelving, television and cabinets.

Scientists will be paying particular attention to how those household appliances reacted. They placed similar items next to each other, with one anchored and the other not.

"If you put everything together, then you see how the house ... behaves, and we want to see that behavior," said Spiro Kremmidas, project manager.

Images from the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake

Researchers, who called Tuesday's test the "ultimate jolt,'' will use data gathered during the experiment to create computer simulations. By manipulating variables on the computer, they hope to develop more economical and reliable construction techniques that will result in fewer losses of lives and property in an earthquake.

Information will also be used to develop guidelines for insurance claims after an earthquake.

Culmination of five months' work

Tuesday's test is the final in a series of experiments funded in part with $5-million from the federal government. For the past five months, scientists at UCSD have conducted dozens of simulations with various home materials and house configurations.

In one experiment in April, according to the San Diego Union- Tribune, a two-story wood-frame house was given a good throttling and came out virtually unscathed. Aside from some loose nails, broken clay pots and a tumble of books on the floor, the experimental house was intact.

About 80 percent of all buildings in Southern California are wood frame, researchers told the newspaper.

CNN Correspondent Eric Horng contributed to this report.

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California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering

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