DEVELOPMENT OF AN EARTHQUAKE SHAKE TABLE FOR THE EXCITATION ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF STRUCTURAL MODELS

EMMANUEL  P. BALANON,

DEVELOPMENT OF AN EARTHQUAKE SHAKE TABLE FOR THE EXCITATION ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF STRUCTURAL MODELS

Abstract:

The study focuses on the development of an earthquake shake table for data and performance monitoring of a pre-designed structural base isolation system that will pave way to the structure’s improvement of design through simulation of damping motion of the structural model in response to different earthquake magnitudes. The earthquake shake table gathers information on its test subjects by the use of attached structural seismometer sensors to calculate its damping motion and base shears, which are directly inputted to built-in monitoring software. The test subjects used for the experimentation process of the earthquake simulation table are two high-rise structure models, which were demonstrated with towers constructed with different materials evaluated through Buckingham pi theorem to replicate the most accurate results of an actual structure’s excitation during an earthquake. The two test subjects differ in their structural foundation, one is structurally base-isolated and the other is conventionally base-attached. The integration to the study of the DPWH guidelines and implementing rules of earthquake recording instrumentation for buildings were the basis of the location of seismometers to the test models to ensure that standard earthquake recording methods are verified and accurately followed. The results of the working Titan Mk.III prototype features the excitation recordings of the test subjects via the system’s accelerometers attached to the two structural test subjects combined with the magnitude produced by the earthquake shake table. The result of the test differs in the performance of the two test subjects wherein the base isolated-structure performed an average of 38.18% decrease in structural excitation compared to the other. To further improve the accuracy of the structural readings of the prototype, a 3D-rendered monitoring program is proposed to be integrated to Titans’ data recording software to produce more aesthetically and user friendly results. In conclusion, the raw data and results produced by the third generation prototype of the earthquake shake table provides the comparative analysis of the two structures wherein it produces the actual excitation basis of the structural models that underwent certain ground motion simulations through the Titan earthquake shake table.