NSF Award Abstract - #0217366

AWSFL008-DS3

Large Displacement Soil-Structure Interaction Facility for Lifeline Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT 0217366 Stewart The George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) is a project funded under the NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction appropriation. This cooperative agreement, under NEES, establishes a NEES collaborative facility for advanced experimental investigations for large displacement soil-structure interactions in lifeline systems. Cornell, in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), will develop advanced experimental facilities to simulate, at both centrifuge-scale and full-scale, capabilities for testing, evaluation, and analysis of soil-structure-foundation interaction (SFSI) in critical lifeline facilities. Full-scale testing usually is expensive and time consuming so supplementary centrifuge experimental models and analytical/numerical simulations will be used to expand the scope of the testing, as well as to investigate parameter sensitivity and identify possible unforeseen effects prior to full-scale tests. This award is an outcome of the peer review of proposals submitted to program solicitation NSF-01-164, "NEES Earthquake Engineering Research Equipment, Phase 2." Equipment located at Cornell will consist of upgrading the existing servo-hydraulic system for large geotechnical and structural testing of lifeline systems, and includes a) a hydraulic distribution system with one 190 liter/min (lpm), 3-station hydraulic service manifold and three 1-station manifolds, each with 115 volt controls and 1 liter accumulator, b) electronic control systems and controllers, c) two large stroke hydraulic structural actuators with load capacities of 295 kN tension to 500 kN tension with strokes of +/- 0.91m, d) one large stroke hydraulic structural actuator with load capacities of 445 kN tension 650 kN compression with a stroke of +/- 64 m, e) one 227 lpm, 21MPa hydraulic pump, and f) friction grips for use in cyclic testing of advanced composites used in lifeline retrofit and design. In addition, a modular reaction wall will be designed, constructed, and installed at Cornell to accommodate the actuators used for large-scale physical models of reinforced composite cementitious materials used in bridge structures. Other support equipment at Cornell consists of a networked data acquisition system that will be tied in to the NEES data network. Video cameras and operational systems also will be installed for direct support of teleparticipation capabilities. New equipment at RPI consists of two advanced large split centrifuge boxes for longitudinal and transverse movements. These two new advanced containers allow for modeling large ground displacement of both large- and small-diameter pipeline centrifuge models, pulling on an elbow, etc. In addition, special container(s) to be used with existing RPI in-flight shaker (the shaker is provided under a separate NEES award to RPI) will study: a) the effect of uplift forces on pipelines during soil liquefaction, b) lateral forces on pipelines due to liquefaction induced lateral spreading, and c) pipeline damage due to slope failure. The equipment at Cornell and RPI will be operational by 2004 or earlier and will be managed as a national shared-use NEES equipment site, with teleobservation and teleoperation capabilities, to provide new earthquake engineering research testing capabilities through 2014. This NEES equipment site will be connected to the NEES network system through a high performance network. Shared-use access and training will be coordinated through the NEES Consortium. Both Cornell and RPI will integrate the testing equipment into research and outreach programs at the undergraduate and graduates levels, as well as promote additional interest in earthquake engineering and simulation at the K-12 levels.