Prof. Dr. Mustafa Erdik Shake Table Laboratory

After the M=7.4 Kocaeli Earthquake of 17 August 1999, the Department of Earthquake Engineering at Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute of Bogazici University had acquired three shake tables with different sizes to conduct tests on the seismic behaviour of model structures and structural components.  The shake tables, and the associated sensors and control systems are housed in the Shake Table Laboratory, a 300 square-meter building next to the Earthquake Engineering Department.

The largest of the three shake tables is a uni-axial shake table with plan dimensions of 3m by 3m. The payload capacity of the table is 10 ton, and the height limit for the test specimens is 6.5m. The table can simulate the motions of real or scenario earthquakes with up to 2g accelerations and +/- 12 cm displacements (total stroke 24 cm). The actuator of the shake table has a 3-stage servo-valve, controlled by an analog inner-loop  (displacement based) and a digital outer-loop  (acceleration feedback based) control systems. This table was the only shake table in Turkey until recent years. The tests performed on the table include the seismic response of scaled structures (e.g., structural frames, walls, retrofit schemes, mosques), full-scale seismic response tests of building components, facade elements (e.g., window, stone, and marble panels), electrical cabinets, busbar systems, metal connectors, and anchorage elements.

The smaller second shake table is a two-dimensional electro-mechanical shake table with dimensions of 1.2m by 1.2m. It is capable of producing independent simultaneous motions in two horizontal directions with accelerations up to 10g, velocities 1.2 m/s, and displacements  +/- 12cm. The payload capacity of the table is 100 kg, and it has a frequency range of 0-40 Hz. This table is used to study two-dimensional seismic response of smaller elements, such as  electronic equipment, museum artefacts, and cabinets.

The third shake table is the smallest one. It is a uni-directional electromagnetic shaker with a payload capacity of 23 kg.  It is embedded inside a cooling box (e.g., a refrigerator) and mainly used for testing the operation of gas shut-off systems under different temperatures, as well as for their calibration and certification.

 

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