Structural Earthquake Stability Competition 2018
(SES 2018)
Structural Earthquake Stability Competition 2018
(SES 2018)
| 31 March 2018 |
written on March 14, 2022
This was my first competition at university. Time flies, it has been 4 years. However, I still remember the moment when I first heard about this competition. It was a hot afternoon, and I was waiting for others to get on the bus before heading to the hostel. While waiting, I received a message from my mentor via Whatsapp and she told me that she had nominated me to take part in this competition and asked me if I would like to participate. At that moment, I felt very honoured because only two first year students were selected, and I was one of them. Meanwhile, I was overwhelmed because I felt that I didn’t know anything. Am I really capable of participating in this competition? Fortunately, the idea only stayed in my mind for a short time. I knew I will definitely regret it if I reject it. Therefore, this competition kicked off my competition journey during my university years. I would like to thank my mentor for giving me this opportunity and of course myself for giving it a try at that time.
Structural Earthquake Stability Competition 2018 (SES 2018) was an inter-university competition organised by the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Student Chapters of The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), in collaboration with Lee Kong Chain Faculty of Engineering and Science’s (LKC FES) Department of Civil Engineering. Sunway Construction Group Berhad was the sponsor of this event. It was held at UTAR Sungai Long Campus on 31 March 2018.
The main objective of SES was to provide students with hands-on experience in earthquake engineering through a small-scale structural model, with the aim of training future engineers to design buildings that can withstand natural disasters. The competition allowed students to improve their engineering knowledge, management skills, creativity, and innovation.
A total of 15 private and local higher learning institutions participated in this competition, namely Heriot-Watt University, INTI International University, Monash University, Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah, Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah, Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, SEGI University, UCSI University, Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and University of Nottingham.
SES 2018 required participants to build a tower model with an observation deck, which aimed to resist the simulated earthquakes generated by the shaking table. Each team of 3-5 undergraduate students were given 3.5 hours to design and construct a tower model using materials provided by the organiser. Upon the completion of model construction, the model was placed on the shaking table to test its stability. The test consisted of 7 levels, each level with a duration of 45 seconds. Prior to testing, a total weight of 600 g will be placed on the observation deck. If the tower model failed to meet the criteria set by the organiser, a penalty of 100 g load will be charged based on the violation of rules.
The materials and tools provided by the organiser during the competition included:
11 x Balsa wood
(3 x 3 x 1000mm)
1 x Mounting board
(A3 size)
1 x Structure base
(210 x 170 x 10mm)
2 x Super glue
(20gm)
1 x Sandpaper
(CW 320)
Model specifications
The model structure is made up of 2 parts: Observation deck and Shaft. The model MUST consist of a level of slab with dimensions of at least 15 cm x 15 cm.
A complete structure MUST consist of at least 2 levels of observation deck and 4 levels of shaft completed with beam, column and bracing.
Models should have more than 4 edges/ sides/ faces.
Each shaft floor must have at least 10 cm in height while observation deck must have at least 15 cm total in height.
Before competition
Two teams from our faculty were sent to take part in this competition. Team Burj Khalifah consisted of 4 members while Team Fujiyama consisted of 5 members. I was in Team Burj Khalifah, which was composed of students from Year 4, Year 3 and Year 1 (me). Throughout the competition preparation process, we faced a number of challenges. The challenges included:
Designing the tower model using the limited number of balsa wood while the tower had to meet the criteria set by the organiser.
Finding the right time for everyone to practice.
Cutting and sanding the balsa wood.
Completing the tower model within the specified time.
These were the main challenges that we faced and luckily we were able to overcome them through teamwork. We had practiced twice prior to the competition. Our last practice was until midnight. We only had 3 to 4 hours to sleep before leaving Perlis for Sungai Long and we haven't packed our luggage yet. How crazy we were, but I absolutely enjoyed that moment.
The day before competition
MRT Project Site Visit
The day of competition
The participating teams were divided into zone A and zone B. Our team was group 15 in zone B. Despite having 2 practice experiences, we were still very nervous during the competition, afraid that we could not complete the tower model on time. 3.5 hours have passed in the blink of an eye. Tick tock... tick tock... the time was counting down. There were still a few minutes left and we haven't completed our tower model yet. As the saying goes, nothing is impossible for a willing heart. Finally, we managed to complete our model before time's up.
Now came the tense part of the competition, that was, the moment when your model was being tested on the shaking table. There were a total of 7 levels with a duration of 45 seconds each. Since our tower model met all the criteria set by the organiser, hence there was no penalty for our team. A total weight of 600 g was placed on the observation deck. Our tower model managed to sustain up to level 5 during testing. This marked the end of our team in this competition.