NSF Award Abstract - #0217393

AWSFL008-DS3

Real-time Multi-directional Testing Facility for Seismic Performance Simulation
of Large-Scale Structural Systems

Abstract

Abstract Ricles 0217393

The George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Program is a project funded under the NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction appropriation. This cooperative agreement, under NEES, establishes a NEES large-scale laboratory equipment site towards real-time hybrid seismic testing at Lehigh University. Lehigh University will design, construct, install, commission, and operate a real-time multi-directional testing facility for seismic performance simulation of large-scale structural systems. The equipment provides the capabilities of integrated experimental and analytical research, and will lead to advances in experimental methods. This equipment will be operational by September 30, 2004, 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 for large structural systems through 2014. This NEES equipment site will be connected to the NEES network through the Mid-Atlantic GigaPop Internet 2 (MAGPI) connection, with 155 Mb/sec Ethernet capabilities that can be scaled to 1 Gb/sec Ethernet capabilities when necessary. Shared-use access and training will be coordinated through the NEES Consortium. 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." The equipment will be installed at the ATLSS Engineering Research Center located at Lehigh University, and will make use of the existing strong floor (372 m2 in surface area), existing multi-directional reaction wall (15.2 m tall at one end that, over a distance of 32 m, steps down incrementally from 12.2 m to 9.1 m to 6.1 m), an existing mechanical testing laboratory, existing hydraulic systems, and existing static actuators. The following equipment is provided under this award: (1) two 2050 kN dynamic actuators ported for three 400 gpm servovalves, +/- 500 mm stroke, (2) three 1500 kN dynamic actuators ported for three 400 gpm servovalves, +/- 500 mm stroke, (3) ten 400 gpm high flow-rate servo-valves, (4) hydraulic distribution lines and service manifolds, (5) surge tank and accumulators that will enable strong ground motion effects to be sustained for over 30 seconds, (6) hydraulic system modifications, (7) digital 8-channel control system with real-time hybrid control packages, (8) digital video teleobservation system including a system of digital high quality video cameras, network video cameras, digital video server, data server, restricted access web server, and a public access web server, (9) high speed 256-channel data acquisition system, and (10) advanced sensors that include wireless MEMS-based accelerometers, piezoelectric transducers (strain and acceleration measurement), and fiber optic strain gages. The experimental facility allows for multi-directional real-time seismic testing, combined with real-time analytical simulations, to investigate the seismic behavior of large-scale structural components, structural subassemblages, and superassemblages (systems) through the combined use of the dynamic actuators, reaction wall, and strong floor. The experimental facility is also designed to support the development of new hybrid testing methods for multi-directional real-time testing of large-scale structures, including hybrid testing of multi-substructures, where the substructures involved in such testing are at different geographic locations connected by the NEES network. Lehigh University will integrate this large-scale real-time multi-directional testing facility into its research program and undergraduate and graduate curricula, provide training opportunities for outside researchers through on-site courses and web-based materials, and host visiting scholars.