July 22

Today we went on a field trip to the San Diego County of Emergency Services. The building is a base isolated building, which is separated from the ground by a layer of air and supports. The buildings are less prone to damage from earthquakes because of the isolators. Our cluster went down below the superstructure to see the 29 isolators, which have a lead core surrounded by rubber layers with steel plates in between the layers. In the corner of the pit, there was a ladder for animals that wander down to be able to climb out. Around the building, there is also a moat so that the building is free to sway during an earthquake because the isolators can deform up to 18 inches during an earthquake. We toured around inside the building a little. It was busy because a training session was in progress. We also received information on emergency preparedness as well as magnets and pencils. There was a possibilty of going to the shake table after the tour of the Emergency Services Center to see an earthquake simulation, but unfortunately they ran the test before our tour was completed. Yesterday, we finished our plans for the bridge column we are building for our group project. Hopefully we will be able to start construction tomorrow.