Hurricane and Earthquake Resistant Nails

Engineers Design Nails To Better Resist Natural Disasters
Engineering designers used geometry with mathematical calculations in trial and error experiments to manufacture HurriQuake Disaster Resistant Fasteners (nails) that exceed home building codes by being twice as resistant to high winds and nearly 50 % more resistant to earthquake forces. Stanley Bostitch's engineering manager of fastening technology reports that engineers focused on making the nail head larger and circled flat screw shanks low on the shank. Home owners still need to understand that this is only one part of the equation for protecting the home. The wood and other materials making up the construction will affect the home's stability.
Teaching strategy:
Viewing the video and displaying all types of fasteners may motivate students in an activity to sketch various types of screws, nails, and fasteners of all sorts. Give students a chance to identify and use tools (screwdrivers, hammers, etc.) to insert the different types of fasteners into wood because this is a work activity that many students have not experienced. Use of household tools and examination of engineering that is part of our everyday living (outside of the computer world) will help students think about engineering design and its practical applications.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0302-hurricane_and_earthquake_resistant_nails.htm