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> Wood works well in earthquakes - when you design for it. I highly doubt that "designing for it" really beats inherently stronger building materials to specif
by baybal2 6y ago
> Wood works well in earthquakes - when you design for it.
I highly doubt that "designing for it" really beats inherently stronger building materials to specifically choose wood with its many, many other disadvantages over something else.
- bluGill 6y agoActually it does. Wood is flexible in ways the most of your stronger materials are not. Iron works, but it is more expensive and doesn't really have any advantage until you are going tall (tall being about 6 floors, but consult an engineer for details) There is a reason Japan traditionally used wood, it works well in general. The design for it parts of wood are not hard - I don't know Japanese history, but I'd guess they figured it out well B.C.
- baybal2 6y ago> Actually it does. Wood is flexible in ways the most of your stronger materials are not You don't need to flex, and dissipate energy if you can simply withstand earthquake G forces through strength alone. And even if you do, steel is obviously better at energy dissipation.
- bluGill 6y agoProblem is things that don't flex also don't absorb the energy of earthquakes. Wood is more than strong enough and withstands earthquakes. Same for steel. Not true for brick, which is really a terrible building material, and almost always what people mean when they say we should build of something stronger than wood.