How China Built Earthquake-Proof Palaces | Secrets Of China's Forbidden City

Summary

The Forbidden City has withstood over 200 devastating earthquakes in its 600-year history, including the deadliest of the 20th century. To understand how, specialists have created a scale model to simulate its structural resilience. Using traditional carpentry techniques, engineers subjected the model to a series of simulated quakes, including magnitudes up to 10.1, revealing how the intricate design, particularly the flexible Dogon brackets, helps the buildings survive extreme forces. This experiment highlights the brilliance of traditional Chinese architecture in ensuring the survival of the Forbidden City through centuries of seismic activity.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Forbidden City has withstood over 200 devastating earthquakes in its 600-year history.
• 😀 To understand how the Forbidden City survives earthquakes, a unique scale model is being built using traditional carpentry tools and techniques.
• 😀 The scale model of the Forbidden City is built at a 1:5 scale, meaning it is one-fifth the size of the original.
• 😀 Engineers have placed the scale model on a shake table to simulate earthquake forces calibrated to its size and weight.
• 😀 The model's structure consists of beams and columns, which are the core elements of the Forbidden City's buildings.
• 😀 The intricate Dogon brackets, which support the eaves and roof, extend to the exterior and are a key structural element.
• 😀 The columns in the Forbidden City are not founded directly in the earth, but rather sit on large beams supported by tall columns.
• 😀 Seismologist Dr. Joe is conducting simulated quake tests to understand how the model reacts to different seismic forces.
• 😀 The model was subjected to a simulated 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which is considered a very large earthquake.
• 😀 Surprisingly, the model could survive a simulated 10.1 magnitude earthquake, demonstrating the flexibility and resilience of traditional Chinese architecture.

Q & A

How many earthquakes has the Forbidden City survived over its 600-year history?

The Forbidden City has survived over 200 devastating earthquakes, including the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century.

What is the scale of the model being built to replicate the Forbidden City for earthquake testing?

The model being built is at a scale of 1:5, meaning it is 1/5 of the original size of the Forbidden City.

What tools and techniques are being used to build the scale model of the Forbidden City?

The scale model is being built using traditional carpentry tools and techniques to ensure accuracy.

What role do the beams and columns play in the structural integrity of the Forbidden City?

The beams and columns are the structural core of all the buildings in the Forbidden City, supporting the overall framework of the structure.

What are the Dogon brackets and what is their function in the Forbidden City’s architecture?

The Dogon brackets are intricate flower-shaped brackets that extend to the exterior of the Forbidden City to support the eaves and the roof.

How do the columns in the Forbidden City differ from typical column foundations?

The columns in the Forbidden City are not founded in the earth; they rely on the structural system of beams and columns for support.

What is the role of the shake table in the testing of the scale model?

The shake table is used to simulate earthquake forces, calibrated to match the size and weight of the scale model to observe how the structure reacts to quakes.

What magnitude of earthquake did the scale model survive during the tests?

The scale model was tested to withstand a magnitude 10.1 earthquake, which is significantly larger than the largest recorded earthquake in history.

What was the surprising result when testing the flexibility of the Forbidden City’s structure?

The most surprising result was how much the building could move and how flexible it was, with no damage occurring even during the 10.1 magnitude earthquake.

What does the survival of the scale model in these extreme tests prove about traditional Chinese architecture?

The survival of the scale model in extreme earthquake simulations proves the genius and resilience of traditional Chinese architecture in withstanding natural disasters.