PASCO ME-7018 User manual

Instruction Manual
012-16515A
800-772-8700 www.pasco.com
Shaking Tower Kit (ME-7018)
Included in the
Shaking Tower Experiment (EX-5555)
Mechanical
Wave Driver
Wireless
Load Cell
Damping Pendulum Structure
Tower Fifth Floor Structure

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The Cover Page shows the Shaking Tower Kit (ME-7018) on the left side and the Shaking Tower Experiment
(EX-5555) on the right side. The inset in the middle shows the Damping Pendulum Structure, which fits on top
of the Fifth Floor Structure in both products.

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Equipment
Label Item Qty Label Item Qty
1 Truss Set Screws (80 pack) 210 Mass, 50 gram 2
2 Tire, Structure 111 Medium Axle 1
3 Wheel, Structure 112 Foam Floor 5
4 Nylon Spacer 213 Flat (F4) Beams 20
5#4 I-Beams 114 Flat Round Connector 4
6#3 I-Beams 24 15 Full Round Connector 5
7#2 I-Beams 816 Sliding Connector 1
8#1 I-Beams 10 17 Half Round Connector 20
9 Mass, 20 gram 2Storage Box (not shown) 1
Rubber Cord (not shown)
1
2
3
46
5
9
8
7
10
11 12
14
13
17
15
16
Required but not Included
ME-7566 Large Slotted Mass Set

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Introduction
The ME-7018 Shaking Tower Kit contains the parts needed to build a model of a building that
is a five story tall tower.
The Kit also includes parts needed to build a Damping Pendulum that fits on the top of the
tower. Required Additional Equipment is the ME-7566 Large Slotted Mass Set.
The Damping Pendulum is modeled after the passive damping mechanisms installed in mod-
ern buildings to dampen oscillations during earthquakes.
The Shaking Tower Kit is also included in the EX-5555 Shaking Tower Experiment. The
Shaking Tower Experiment package (EX-6666) includes the additional equipment needed to
shake the tower at various frequencies and to measure the force of the shaking at each floor.
Shaking Tower Kit Construction
There are four parts to the Shaking Tower Kit Construction.
• The first part is the Ground Floor Structure.
• The second part is for the five floors above the ground floor which are all constructed in the same way.
• The third part is the completion of the tower using the Ground Floor Structure and the five floors.
• The fourth part is the Damping Pendulum which is attached to the top of the fifth floor.
The following instructions show how to build the ground floor, first floor through the fifth floor, and the Damping
Pendulum on top of the fifth floor.
Shaking Tower
Note: Slotted
Masses are not
included
Damping Pendulum
Tower Fifth Floor
Tower Fourth Floor

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Ground Floor Construction
Items Needed for the Ground Floor
1. Attach the four #2 I-Beams to the
Flat Round Connector using
Truss Set Screws.
2. Attach the four Full Round Con-
nectors to the four #2 I-Beams as
shown.
3. Attach the four #3 I-Beams to the
Full Round Connectors as
shown.
4. Align a Flat F4 Beam and a Truss
Set Screw with the top vertical
slot on a Full Round Connector.
Attach the beam using the Truss
Set Screw.
5. Repeat the process to attach the
other Flat F4 Beams to the other
Full Round Connectors using
Truss Set Screws.
#3 I-Beams (4) Flat Round Connector (1) Flat F4 Beams (4)
#2 I-Beams (4) Full Round Connectors (4) Truss Set Screws (20)
#3 I-Beam
#3 I-Beam
#3 I-Beam
#3 I-Beam
#2
Flat Round Connector
Truss Set Screw
Full Round Connector
#2
#2
Top Vertical Slot
Top
Vertical
Slot
Ground Floor
Structure
Full Round Connector
Truss Set
Screw
Flat F4
Beam
Ground Floor Structure
with Four Flat F4 Beams

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Floor Construction
Items Needed Per Floor
Step One: Attach one #3 I-Beam between two Full Round Con-
nectors.
Make sure that the “cross-bar” on the #3 I-Beam faces out-
ward.
Step Two: Place the Foam Floor
between the Half Round Connectors with
one edge of the floor in the back of the
#3 I-Beam.
#3 I-Beams (4) Truss Set Screws (8)
Foam Floor (1) Half Round Connectors (4)
Half Round
Connector
Cross-bar faces outward
Step One
#3 I-Beam
Foam Floor
Step Two

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Step Three: Add three #3
I-Beams and two Half Round
Connectors around the
Foam Floor using Truss Set
Screws as shown. Notice
that the “cross-bar” on each
#3 I-Beam faces outward
Build More Floors
Use the same process to
build four more floors (for a
total of five floors).
Step Three
Half Round
Connector
#3 I-Beam
Cross-bar faces outward

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Tower Construction
Items Needed: Flat F4 Beams (24), Truss Set Screws (28), Floors (5), Ground Floor Structure (1)
Step One: Align the Flat F4
Beams of the Ground Floor
Structure with the bottom ver-
tical slots of the Half Round
Connectors on the First Floor
Step Two: Use Truss Set
Screws to attach the First
Floor to the Flat F4 Beams.
Step Three: Use four Truss
Set Screws to attach four Flat
F4 Beams to the top vertical
slots of the Half Round Con-
nectors on the First Floor.
Step Four: Add the Second
Floor to the top of the Flat F4
Beams of the First Floor.
Attach four Flat 4 Beams to
the Second Floor.
Use the same process to add
the Third Floor to the Fourth
Floor and the Fifth Floor to
the Fourth Floor. NOTE, do
not add any Flat F4 Beams to
the Fifth Floor.
ME-7566: Required
Additional Item
Notice on page 1 that the
illustration of the Shaking
Tower shows slotted masses
on the Ground Floor and
each of the Tower Floors.
The PASCO ME-7566 Large
Slotted Mass Set consists of
nine iron disks of 0.5 kg each
and a hanger of 1.5 kg.
Stack three disks on the cen-
ter of the Ground Floor Struc-
ture. Put one disk on each of
the Floors. The circular step
on the top of the disk fits in
the hole in the Foam Floor.
Ground Floor
Structure
First Floor
Structure
Bottom
Vertical
Slot
Flat F4 Beam
Bottom
Vertical
Slot
Top
Vertical
Slot
Flat F4 Beam
First Floor
Structure

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Damping Pendulum Structure Construction
Items Needed
The Damping Pendulum Structure is above the Fifth Floor of the Shaking Tower. The pendulum part of the Struc-
ture extends downward through the hole in the Foam Floor. Remove the circular mass from the Fifth Floor.
Part One of the construction is to build the supports for the axle that carries the pendulum. Part Two of the con-
struction is to put the pendulum and other components on the axle as the axle is put into the supports.
Part One: Supports for Axle
Step One: Attach a #2
I-Beam to the forty-five
degree angle slot on each of
the Half Round Connectors
on the Fifth Floor as shown.
Note the orientation of the
supports relative to the Flat
F4 Beams.
Step Two: Attach a Flat
Round Connector to each of
the two 45° angled supports
as shown. Make sure that
the Flat Round Connectors
face outwards.
#2 I-Beams (4) Truss Set Screws (8) Sliding Connector (1)
Flat Round Connector (1) Full Round Connectors (3) Medium Axle (1)
Wheel (1) Tire (1) Nylon Spacer (2)
Fifth Floor
Structure
#2 I-Beam
Flat Round
Connector
Flat 4 Beams
(Fourth Floor)
Connector
faces outward
Flat Round
Connector
#2
I-Beam

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Part Two: Assemble the Damping Pendulum
Step One: Put the end of the
Medium Axle through the cen-
ter hole of a Flat Round Con-
nector. Put the following
components onto the Medium
Axle in the following order.
Note the orientation of the
Tire/Wheel and the Full
Round Connector as shown.
Push the Axle so that the
other end goes through the
center hole of the other Flat
Round Connect.
• First, put the Nylon
Spacer onto the Axle.
• Second, put the
Tire/Wheel on the Axle
with the Wheel “hub” pointing as shown in the diagram.
• Third, put the Full Round Connector on the Axle with the “right angle” part pointing as shown in the diagram.
Step Two: Assemble the Pen-
dulum and attach it to the Axle.
Attach a Flat Round Connector
to one end of a #4 I-Beam. Add
a 20 Gram Mass to the Flat
Round Connector on both sides
of the #4 I-Beam as shown.
Position the pendulum through
the hole in the middle of the
Fifth Floor. Attach the upper end
of the #4 I-Beam to a bottom
vertical slot on the Full Round
Connector.
Medium
Axle
Nylon
Spacer
Tire/Wheel
Full Round
Connector
Third Hole
of Axle
NOTE: In this diagram,
the Tire/Wheel and one of
the Half Round
Connectors are not shown
so that the Pendulum is
easier to see.
20 Gram Mass
20 Gram Mass
#4 I-Beam
Full Round
Connector
Fifth Floor
Structure
Floor

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Step Three: Attach the Full Round Connec-
tor and the Tire/Wheel “hub” to the Medium
Axle. Adjust the position of the Full Round
Connector on the Axle so that the third hole
in the Axle is below a threaded hole on the
Connector as shown. Use a Truss Set
Screw to mount the Full Round Connector
in place. Put a Truss Set Screw into the
threaded hole on the Tire/Wheel “hub” and
tighten the screw until it makes good con-
tact with the Axle.
Step Four: Mount the Sliding Connector at
the middle of one of the #2 I-Beams as
shown.
When the Shaking Tower Kit is shaking, the Damping Pendulum is damped by adjusting how hard the Sliding Con-
nector rubs against the Tire.
Further Study: Damping Pendulum
Try changing the amount of mass on the pendulum or the length of the pendulum to see it your can get it to
dampen out the motion of the shaking tower more quickly.
See the next page for information about the EX-5555 Shaking Tower Experiment.
Truss Set Screw Tire/Wheel
Full Round
Connector
Sliding
Connector
#2 I-Beam
Let the
Sliding
Connector
touch the
Tire

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Shaking Tower Kit Equipment (EX-5555)
Note: The Shaking Tower Experiment, product number
EX-5555, includes all the equipment needed for the “Shak-
ing Tower” experiments. For more information, download
the “ZIP” file from the EX-5555 web page at
www.pasco.com. The ZIP file contains the Microsoft Word
experiment writeup, Capstone configuration files, and
graphics files.The Shaking Tower Experiment (EX-5555)
includes the Shaking Tower Kit (ME-7018) and the follow-
ing additional items.
Required but not included:
• 850 Universal Interface (UI-5000)
• PASCO Capstone Software
The inset photograph to the right shows the Shaking
Tower oscillating in its various resonance modes.
Item Product Number Qty
Mechanical Wave Driver SF-9324 1
2-Meter Patch Cord Set SE-9415A 1
Large Rod Base ME-8735 1
Threaded Rod 25 cm ME-8988 1
Large Slotted Mass Set ME-7566 1
Wireless Load Cells PS-3216 4
Mechanical
Wave Driver
Wireless
Load Cell
In the Shaking Tower Experiment, the tower is
shaken by the Mechanical Wave Driver which is
powered by an 850 Universal Interface (not shown).

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Technical Support
For assistance with any PASCO product, contact PASCO at:
Check the PASCO website for the latest version of the instruction manual.
www.pasco.com/manuals
Limited Warranty For a description of the product warranty, see the PASCO catalog. Copyright The PASCO scientific Instruction Manual is
copyrighted with all rights reserved. Permission is granted to non-profit educational institutions for reproduction of any part of this manual,
providing the reproductions are used only in their laboratories and classrooms, and are not sold for profit. Reproduction under any other
circumstances, without the written consent of PASCO scientific, is prohibited. Rev: 07/19. Trademarks PASCO, and PASCO scientific are
trademarks or registered trademarks of PASCO scientific, in the United States and/or in other countries. For more information visit
www.pasco.com/legal.
Replacement Parts
None of the equipment items in ME-7018 Shaking Tower Kit are available separately. However, the
items are included in other PASCO products. Check the PASCO catalog or the web site at
www.pasco.com to find out what is included in each of the PASCO products.
Address: PASCO scientific
10101 Foothills Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95747-7100
Web: www.pasco.com
Phone: [phone] (worldwide)
877-373-0300 (U.S.)
Email [email protected]
Item In Model # Description of Model Number
Truss Set Screws (80 pack) ME-6994 Truss Set Screws (pack of 80)
Tire, Structure ME-6998A Axle Spares
Wheel, Structure ME-6998A Axle Spares
Medium Axle ME-6988A Axle Spares
Nylon Spacer ME-6988A Axle Spares
#4 I-Beams ME-6993 Truss Set Members
#3 I-Beams ME-6993 Truss Set Members
#2 I-Beams ME-6993 Truss Set Members
#1 I-Beams ME-6993 Truss Set Members
Half Round Connector ME-6993 Truss Set Members
Mass, 20 gram ME-8983 20 g Replacement Mass Set (set pf 6)
Mass, 50 gram ME-8984 50 g Replacement Mass Set (set of 6)
Flat (F4) Beams ME-6987 Structures Flat Members
Flat Round Connector ME-6997 Full Round (XYZ) Connector Spares
Full Round Connector ME-6997 Full Round (XYZ) Connector Spares
Sliding Connector ME-6999A Angle Connectors Spares
Rubber Cord ME-8986 Rubber Cord 30 m Spool