Here are a few notes about this presentation. It was developed as part of an activity about Tsunami Hazard Mitigation and Engineering, call Tsunamis and Sand Bins. It contains three sections: tsunamis and modeling, civil engineering and the engineering design cycle. Each of these sections is meant to introduce the topic and provide an overview. Any section of this presentation maybe delivered separately or removed from the presentation as it relates to the teaching goals. Slides can be added for increased content. Please use this a start for your teaching, modify it as necessary. It is meant to be a “living” document. However the author and her sources should be acknowledged if you distribute this presentation . If you have questions or comment please contact alicia.lyman-holt@oregonstate.edu
or 541-737-3665

Coastal Engineers Think
Inside the Box

Part 1 – Tsunami and Research at the NEES Tsunami Facility

What is a Tsunami?

Means “Harbor Wave” in Japanese

It a sudden and dramatic rise in sea level, resulting in a very fast and damaging flood.
Credit: USGS

Tsunami Before and After
Community in
Japan before
(above) and after(below) the Feb 2011 tsunami
Credit: Dailymail.com

Stages of a Tsunami
Generation Propagation Inundation
Credit:NOAA
How are tsunamis created?
How do they move through the ocean?
Credit: EPA
What happens when they hit land?

•
•
•
•

Tsunami Generation
(video click on the image)
Illustration of Tsunami Generation by Subduction Zone (USGS)

Tsunamis Generation
•
Lituya Bay 1958 in Alaska – source

Tsunamis Generation
•
Aysen in Chile in 2007– source: Fritz

Tsunami Propagation (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo5uH1UJF4A&feature=share&list=TL
NBfeCOmN_0BDPbxUSX6M4jJyHm0bz9Hx
Click on link to go to NOAA’s YouTube video of a narrated animation of the March 11,
2011 Honshu, Japan tsunami propagation
(NOAA Center for Tsunami Research)

Tsunami Inundation
Large amount of water floods into a land area usually above sea level – this is measured in feet
(or meters) above sea level
Credit: Dan Cox

Tsunamis in Oregon
30 min
Cascadia
Subduction
Zone
1 in 7 chance in the next
50 years

Dynamic
Tsunami
Hazard
Map
Video courtesy of :
Dr. Harry Yeh
Oregon State University
&
Dr. Katada
Gunma University, Japan

Typical waves at Seaside:
6 ft high every 7 sec.
Credit: Dan Cox

Demonstration of Cascadia subduction zone tsunami
Credit:
Dan Cox

“Wave Force Potential”
Numerical Calculations
Courtesy of Dr. Patrick Lynett, USC

1:6 Scale Residential Building
Courtesy of: Drs. J. Van de Lindt, Colorado State Univ. & R. Gupta, Oregon State University

Near Prototype Scale Wall
Credit:
Dan Cox

Part 2
Introduction to Civil and Coastal
Engineering

What is Engineering??

What is Engineering??

Engineering = Math+Science+creativity = problem solving

Engineers – Design solutions to problems

Engineers – Innovate (make new things/ solve problems)

Engineers –work in teams

What is Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment. (Wikipedia)

Civil Engineers work on?
Source: Jan Drewes

Civil Engineers work on?

Buildings

Roads

Rivers

Sanitation
Systems

Parks

Bridges

Towns

Dams

Subways

Safety
A major goal of all of civil engineering is to provide safety for the users of the infrastructure. This can mean:

Safety
A major goal of all of civil engineering is to provide safety for the users of the infrastructure. This can mean:

Designing buildings to withstand loads from wind or earthquakes

Designing bridges to withstand loading from large heavy trucks or high winds

Planning highway/freeway systems to provide adequate evacuation routes

Coastal Engineering
Source: http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/media/images/9/s/TEIGN_ESTUARY_large_image.jpg

Coastal Engineering

The goal of Coastal
Engineering is to protect civil infrastructure from coastal processes.

Source: Armand Thibault

Credit: Steve Earley

Gilchrist Texas after Hurricane Ike in 2008, (credit: the guardian)

Japan March 2011
Credit: Kyodo/AP

Part 3. Engineering Design Cycle

Engineers think inside the box and the engineering design cycle
How to think and work like an engineer

Thinking inside the box
Budget
Building Code

The Engineering Design Process
1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5.
Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

Define the Problem 1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5. Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

Start by defining your problem. Be specific.

Make sure everyone on your team agrees with the problem statement

Gather Information 1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5. Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

What are the constraints on your design?

Write them down

Hint: Some constraints include

Materials

Time

Wave Height

Budget

Gather Information 1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5. Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

What does your proposed solution have to do?

What forces does it have to resist to stay safe?

What kinds of designs are most likely to resist those forces?

Generate
Multiple Solutions
1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5.
Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

Decide how you will judge your ideas!

What criteria will you use to make a decision on a design?

Try different designs, test them in your minitsunami sand bin

Record your results

Analyze and
Choose a Solution
1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5.
Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

Use the criteria you defined to choose one design

Implement the solution
1. Define the problem
2. Gather information
3. Generate multiple solutions
4. Analyze and choose a solution
5. Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution

Now the fun starts!

Build your chosen design!

Record your design performance to report

Remember…

Design is an Iterative Process

You can make changes as you go

But you have TIME constraints to implement your design!
6. Evaluate the solution
1. Define the problem
5.
Implement the solution
2. Gather information
4. Analyze and choose a solution
3. Generate multiple solutions

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to this presentation

Dr. Dan Cox, Oregon State University

Deanna Lyons, Oregon State University
I would like to thank the following organizations for their fiscal support that made is presentation possible:
The National Science Foundation
The Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation
Oregon Sea Grant