Innovative Large-Scale Building Specimen Designs to Maximize Shake Table Testing Outcomes

This paper presents the innovative engineering designs of the large-scale shake table specimens for two research projects using the NEES/NHERI@UCSD Large Outdoor Shake Table. The first test building is a three-story diaphragm-sensitive precast structure; the second is a four-story flat plate reinforced concrete structure possessing a novel low-damage seismic system; both structures were constructed at half-scale. Each shake table test program was part of a larger research project involving nominally the same multi-university research team: the Diaphragm Seismic Design Methodology (DSDM) project tasked with developing a new seismic design methodology for precast concrete floor diaphragms; the Inertial Force-Limiting Floor Anchorage System (IFAS) project, which aimed to develop a new low-damage seismic system via a deformable floor connection. Both projects adopted an integration of component physical testing and analytical simulation to develop new knowledge on their research topic and utilized a large-scale shake table test near the project's conclusion to serve as a demonstration and calibration tool. A common theme of these shake table test programs, and the focus of this paper, is the innovative designs of the test structures to maximize the outcomes and value of the test programs by: (1) overcoming testing limitations and extend testing capabilities; (2) testing realistic building structures that better reproduce actual conditions; (3) creating a repeated-use test structure that permits evaluation of multiple design parameters at multiple hazard levels or comparison of two distinct systems; and (4) ensuring safety throughout the entire test program. The required engineering design decisions were inextricably linked to the research objectives. At the scale required for the test buildings, the research team faced challenges in design, component production, erection, and demolition. The performance of these engineering features is presented, and lessons learned are provided. The objective of this paper is to document the engineering innovations underlying these successful shake table test programs to serve as a resource for the earthquake engineering research community planning future large shake table tests.