In two previous blog posts about Quanser shake tables, we
introduced the shake table family and then featured the largest of our
offerings in this category, the Shake Table III. In this blog post we cast the spotlight on the
Shake Table II.
The most popular of all Quanser shake tables, the Shake
Table II is found in university engineering labs all around the world. A heavy load, bench-scale, single-axis shaker,
this table features a wide surface that can easily hold a number of structures
and accommodate complex as well as simple experiments. These factors, along
with its convenient portability, make the Shake Table II particularly useful in
teaching and research labs. Read on to see how it is being put to work today.
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| The most popular member of the Quanser Shake Table family, the bench-scale Shake Table II simulates earthquake movements along a single axis and can move a substantial 7.5 kg load at 2.5 g. It features a wide surface that can accommodate several structures and increase the complexity of your experiments. |
University of East London, London, UK: Easy to use, portable and ideal for teaching
Students from more than 100 countries attend the University of East London, and many of the students who study civil engineering return to
countries that are affected by seismic activity. Dr. Mihaela Anca Ciupala,
Program Leader at the university’s School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering (CITE), is very pleased with the learning opportunities made
possible with Quanser’s Shake Table II.
The table is used in a number of study areas, including the
determination of natural frequencies in multi-DOF structures, and the seismic
response of building frames. The Shake Table II provides students with valuable,
hands-on experimental experience along with a better understanding of the
theoretical concepts presented in CITE’s Civil Engineering courses. It has also
enabled research in such areas as seismic response of base-isolated structures
and soil-structure interaction.
Dr. Anca Ciupala cites several reasons the Shake Table II
was added to their lab. “It’s ideal for teaching purposes because it is easy to
use, accessible, portable. And since it has simple software operation, it helps
a large number of students to understand and complete projects in a relatively
short time.”
University of Alaska, Anchorage, USA: Provides a real world model that makes abstract seismic concepts easier to understand
Alaska has felt the terrible effects of at least one catastrophic earthquake in the past, and with an eye to preventing serious damage in the future, Professor Zhaohui Yang of the University of Alaska’s Department of Civil Engineering wanted to help the general public experience a vivid demonstration the nature of seismic destruction.
To that end, he and his students created a series of mini-laboratories to showcase structural and geotechnical aspects of earthquake damage, including the effects of a mass damper on a one-story building, as well as the effects of liquefaction on a one-story building. According to Professor Yang, these simulations “provided a real-world model to an otherwise abstract concept, making these concepts easier for the general public to understand.”
The Shake Table II served Professor Yang’s purposes because “it can accurately mimic seismic activity and test building seismic performance”. The Shake Table II’s small scale and portability offered additional advantages, since it is simple to work with in the lab and easy to transport to public demonstration sites.
Tongji University, Shanghai, China: Worldwide popularity makes it ideal for collaborative projects
Professor Haibei Xiong, Dean of Tongji University’s College of Civil Engineering, acquired Tongji’s first Shake Table II in 2006 and two
more in 2012. The shake tables are used for teaching, conducting structural
experiments, and especially for student structural competitions. They use QUARC®
with MATLAB®/Simulink® software, and an active mass
damper for demo purposes.
Professor Xiong finds the shake tables worthy additions to
their lab for several reasons. To begin
with, the shake tables’ small scale means students can do experiments easily
and safely. There is no additional maintenance cost, so a lab assistant isn’t
needed.
She appreciates the fact that QUARC’s open architecture
control software, working with MATLAB/Simulink, makes it easy to control several
tables at the same time. That capability made the school decide to acquire
additional Shake Table II’s. This allows them to conduct multi-point shaking
experiments on a bridge structure, and also work on shaking a bigger structure
with several small shake tables.
The fact that many civil engineering schools in China are
doing collaborative work with universities in North America that use the Shake
Table II is another reason for the Quanser Shake Table II’s popularity and
presence at Tongji University. The school plans to acquire an additional two
Shake Table II’s in the near future.
Purdue University,
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA: Sheer
convenience of complete system provides true flexibility
Professor Shirley Dyke is professor of mechanical
engineering and civil engineering, at the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.
She uses the Shake Table II and an Active Mass Damper
Controller to teach Structural Dynamics to her first year graduate students. Specifically
the Shake Table helps demonstrate the dynamics of building structures. A key reason the Shake Table has a place in
her lab is simple convenience. “The system consists not only of a shake table,
but includes accelerometers, test structures, data acquisition and a computer
to record data and control the shake table itself,” she says. “It gives us
desired flexibility in performing experiments.”
In 1999, Professor Dyke was one of the founders of the
University Consortium on Instructional Shake Tables (UCIST), a group whose goal
was to introduce earthquake simulators into classroom teaching. In fact, the Shake Table II was built in
cooperation with UCIST, and UCIST now recommends it as a turnkey solution for
teaching structural dynamics to civil engineers.
Cornell University,
New York, USA: Brings earthquake
simulations to life in the classroom
Professor Anthony Ingraffea believes that his students grasp
structural dynamics concepts better when those concepts are brought to life
through real world earthquake simulations in the classroom. Cornell University’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering uses a Quanser Shake
Table II for that reason.
Typically Professor Ingraffea organizes students into teams
that design and build model structures, then test the structural integrity of
their designs in a big “shake-off”. The Shake Table and the simulations effectively
mimic the real world and bring theory to life for the students. Professor Ingraffea feels that the Quanser
Shake Table II has motivated five generations of Cornell freshmen to better
understand the theory of structural dynamics.
University of
California, Davis, California, USA: An
essential tool for education, research and outreach
The Shake Table II is a very popular lab tool at
University of
California, Davis, according to Nima Tafazzoli, postdoctoral researcher in the school’s Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering. It’s used for teaching, research, and outreach.
At the undergraduate level, it helps professors teach classes and
seminars in civil and environmental engineering. At the graduate level, it
demonstrates the response of single or multiple degrees of freedom structures
subjected to earthquakes. As a research tool, the
Shake Table II is involved in several projects at Departments of Civil
and Environmental Engineering as well
as Mechanical
and Aeronautical Engineering when
dynamic load is required to be applied to the system. The Shake Table II
has also been featured in outreach programs, and is an essential tool in entry in the national seismic
design competitions. UC Davis chose the Shake Table II because it is easy to set
up, use and transport, without requiring the work of a group of lab assistants.
They find it an engaging way to demonstrate the actual behavior of structures
and see it as safer to use than most lab equipment, especially with
inexperienced students.
Stay tuned to our blog for another post in this Shake Table
series. For more information about Quanser Shake Table solutions, click here.
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