The legs of the structure that extend below the frame actually did add stability to our structure. However, it would have been even more sturdy had the wholes not been larger than the pieces of bamboo. The U-bolt stakes that we bought were obnoxiously orange but they did prevent a lot of movement and held the structure in place. One thing that could have been stronger during our safety check, which you can see here, SAFETY CHECK VIDEO, is the tightness of the knots. Here, transportation really affected the stability of the structure, and loosened the knots. Only until the last day that our structure was outside did we test out the method of wetting the knots which you can see videos for before and after, above. Another safety concern was the bamboo floor being slippery if it was wet from the rain. In testing the floor with water we came to realize that bamboo has a nice way of maintaining its grip when wet. One thing that we did not think about during safety was someone falling between the bamboo slats in the floor, which ended up happening on our last installation day, after the floor had been continually used and loosened. Fortunately, no one was hurt and we think that this could be avoided by changing the way we tie the floor together in a more tight and rigid way. One thing we had not even thought about during the process was that the safety people on campus would be concerned with the flamibility of the structure. Thankfully, Anne ended up calling the silkscreen company which she had our receipt for ( it helps to stay on top of purchases and receipts) and found out that the material will melt at 450 degrees before it ever catches fire. We were a little worried about the fabric ripping when people leaned against it, but it ended up not being a problem. We found that the stability of the structure could be proven when seeing people jump around on, almost as if it was a jungle gym. Just comparing the structure from the initial check to the final check, it appears more durable, probably having something to do with watering the knots.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
What we Learned About Safety
The legs of the structure that extend below the frame actually did add stability to our structure. However, it would have been even more sturdy had the wholes not been larger than the pieces of bamboo. The U-bolt stakes that we bought were obnoxiously orange but they did prevent a lot of movement and held the structure in place. One thing that could have been stronger during our safety check, which you can see here, SAFETY CHECK VIDEO, is the tightness of the knots. Here, transportation really affected the stability of the structure, and loosened the knots. Only until the last day that our structure was outside did we test out the method of wetting the knots which you can see videos for before and after, above. Another safety concern was the bamboo floor being slippery if it was wet from the rain. In testing the floor with water we came to realize that bamboo has a nice way of maintaining its grip when wet. One thing that we did not think about during safety was someone falling between the bamboo slats in the floor, which ended up happening on our last installation day, after the floor had been continually used and loosened. Fortunately, no one was hurt and we think that this could be avoided by changing the way we tie the floor together in a more tight and rigid way. One thing we had not even thought about during the process was that the safety people on campus would be concerned with the flamibility of the structure. Thankfully, Anne ended up calling the silkscreen company which she had our receipt for ( it helps to stay on top of purchases and receipts) and found out that the material will melt at 450 degrees before it ever catches fire. We were a little worried about the fabric ripping when people leaned against it, but it ended up not being a problem. We found that the stability of the structure could be proven when seeing people jump around on, almost as if it was a jungle gym. Just comparing the structure from the initial check to the final check, it appears more durable, probably having something to do with watering the knots.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment