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 or

Surviving Tsunamis on the Oregon Coast Coastal Engineers Think Inside the Box

Part 1 – Tsunami and Research at the NEES Tsunami Facility

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

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

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

How are Tsunamis Generated?

Subduction Zone Earthquakes Landslides Volcanoes Glaciers

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

Tsunamis Generation Landslides – Volcanoes –Glaciers Lituya Bay 1958 in Alaska – source

Tsunamis Generation Landslides – Volcanoes –Glaciers Aysen in Chile in 2007– source: Fritz

(NOAA Center for Tsunami Research) Tsunami Propagation (video) Click on link to go to NOAA’s YouTube video of a narrated animation of the March 11, 2011 Honshu, Japan tsunami propagation NBfeCOmN_0BDPbxUSX6M4jJyHm0bz9Hx

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

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

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

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

Demonstration of Cascadia subduction zone tsunami Credit: Dan Cox

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

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

Near Prototype Scale Wall Credit: Dan Cox

Part 2 Introduction to Civil and Coastal 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 Engineering??

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

Civil Engineers work on? Source: Jan Drewes

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

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 Safety

Coastal Engineering Source:

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

Erosion Source: Armand Thibault

Storms Credit: Steve Earley

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

Tsunami 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

Time Thinking inside the box Budget Building Code Tsunami forces

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  Start by defining your problem. Be specific.  Make sure everyone on your team agrees with the problem statement 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

Gather Information  What are the constraints on your design?  Write them down  Hint: Some constraints include  Materials  Time  Wave Height  Budget 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

Gather Information  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? 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

Generate Multiple Solutions  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 mini- tsunami sand bin  Record your results 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

Analyze and Choose a Solution  Use the criteria you defined to choose one design 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

Implement the solution  Now the fun starts!  Build your chosen design!  Record your design performance to report 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

Remember…  Design is an Iterative Process  You can make changes as you go  But you have TIME constraints to implement your design! 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

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