Equipment Grant for Renovation and Upgrading of the Earthquake Simulator Capability

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This award provides funds for an equipment grant to renovate and improve the capabilities of the earthquake simulator (shaking table) facilities at the Richmond Station University of California, Berkeley. The simulator was constructed in 1972, it is one of the largest such facilities in the United States and has been in use virtually continuously since its construction for research performed by faculty members at Berkeley and other Universities throughout the U.S. and by engineers from consulting companies, industrial corporations and government agencies. It continues to be used on a full-time basis, but it suffers repeated break-downs and is clearly in serious need of renovation. In recognition of this need the State of California has recently allocated $230,000 for renovation of this and related facilities, and this proposal requests complementary funding from the National Science Foundation to restore the shaking table facility to a current state-of-the-art capability. Specifically funds are requested to provide a new and improved control system for the shaking table, new data acquisition facilities, a micro-wave link between the data acquisition facilities at the simulator facility and the computer network on the Berkeley campus and a feasibility study to explore the possibility of adding an additional component of motion to the table so that tests can he performed under three-dimensional earthquake shaking conditions. The earthquake simulator at Berkeley is a major research resource in the U.S. and is depended on to conduct shaking tests of structural assemblages and complete systems required to advance the knowledge of earthquake behavior of structures. It is extremely important to maintain this facility at a state-of-the-art level of operation. An award is strongly recommended.