Upgrade and Integration fo RPI NEES In-flight Robot and 2D Earthquake Shaker

该奖项为伦斯勒理工学院（RPI）提供资金，以提升乔治E的实验能力。小布朗RPI的地震工程模拟网络（NEES）土工离心机设施，将由NEES联合体公司运营，2005 - 2014财政年度作为国家共享使用设施。 RPI NEES现场的主要设备包括150 g吨土工离心机，2D振动筛，2D层流箱，4D飞行机器人，基于网络的数据采集系统，先进的仪器仪表以及远程呈现和远程参与功能。 根据该合同，RPI将升级和集成飞行机器人和2D振动台，以便它们可以用于同一个地震模拟离心机实验。根据建立NEES RPI设备场地的原始合作协议CMS-0086555，未提供该能力。 飞行机器人和二维振动台的拟议集成构成了RPI NEES设施的实质性能力改进，以及RPI将能够为地震工程研究社区和执业工程师提供的服务。 它将允许使用飞行中的机器人在较大的土壤模型上执行复杂的操作，而它们在离心机上处于高达100 g的高离心加速度下，在摇动之前或使用2D摇动器的摇动事件之间，而不需要停止离心机来放置和/或移除摇动器或机器人。 由于垂直空间有限，为了将2D振动筛和飞行机器人一起容纳在离心机上，RPI还将开发伸缩式或可伸缩的特殊机器人工具。拟议的集成将允许复杂的飞行操作，如：（1）在各个方向上施加静态和动态载荷，（2）打桩，（3）挖掘土壤以模拟施工活动，（4）使用校准探针原位测试土壤特性，（5）土壤修复，以及（6）在飞行中注入流体和采样以进行被动场地修复。 该设备将通过NEES联盟公司提供给地震工程研究界，RPI需要设施。 该奖项由NSF NEES主要研究设备和设施建设（MREFC）项目资助，是国家地震灾害减少计划（NEHRP）的一部分。

This award provides funding to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to upgrade the experimental capabilities of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) geotechnical centrifuge facility at RPI that will be operated by NEES Consortium, Inc., as a national shared use facility during FY 2005 - FY 2014. The major equipment at the RPI NEES site includes the 150 g-ton geotechnical centrifuge, 2D shaker, 2D laminar box, 4D in-flight robot, web-based data acquisition system, advanced instrumentation, and telepresence and teleparticipation capabilities. Under this award, RPI will upgrade and integrate the in-flight robot and 2D shaker, so that they can both be used in the same earthquake simulation centrifuge experiment. This capability was not provided under the original cooperative agreement CMS-0086555 to establish the NEES RPI equipment site. The proposed integration of the in-flight robot and 2D shaker constitutes a substantial capability improvement of the RPI NEES facility and the services that RPI will be able to provide to the earthquake engineering research community and practicing engineers. It will permit the use of the in-flight robot to perform complex operations on larger soil models while they are on the centrifuge under high centrifugal acceleration up to 100g, before shaking or between shaking events using the 2D shaker, without the need to stop the centrifuge to place and/or remove either the shaker or robot. In order to accommodate the 2D shaker and the in-flight robot together on the centrifuge due to the limited vertical space, RPI will also develop special robotic tools that are telescopic or retractable. The proposed integration will allow sophisticated in-flight operations such as: (1) applying static and dynamic loads in various directions, (2) pile driving, (3) excavation of soil to simulate construction activities, (4) in situ testing of soil properties using calibrated probes, (5) soil remediation, and (6) in-flight fluid injection and sampling for passive site remediation. This equipment will be available to the earthquake engineering research community through the NEES Consortium, Inc., RPI NEES facility. This award is funded by the NSF NEES Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) project and is a component of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).