The University of British Columbia Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory offers comprehensive facilities for seismic research and qualification testing. This high performance seismic simulator can accurately reproduce earthquake ground motions and a variety of other input wave forms, and can be configured for a wide range of testing applications. It can be used for seismic research and qualification testing of equipment, structural components and scale models. The shake table has recently been upgraded from a single axis horizontal motion simulator to a multi-axis motion simulator. The facility incorporates a digital computer control system to allow maximum flexibility in designing and performing tests and in subsequently analyses of test data.
Access is available for direct entry of large vehicles.
This software performs a closed-loop control of several shakers which are capable of replicating recorded earthquake motions. The actuator used to produce the horizontal motions can generate 156 kN of force. Each of the vertical actuators can generate 89 kN of force. The actuators are mounted on an isolated concrete pit foundation. The laboratory is equipped to record 32 channels of instrumentation information from test specimen.