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，用于升级RPI的乔治·e·布朗地震工程模拟网络（NEES）土工离心机设施的实验能力，该设施将由NEES财团公司在2005 - 2014财年作为国家共享使用设施运营。RPI NEES基地的主要设备包括150克重的土工离心机、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能力。根据该合同，RPI将对飞行机器人和二维激振器进行升级和集成，使它们可以同时用于同一个地震模拟离心机实验。在最初的合作协议CMS-0086555中没有提供建立NEES RPI设备站点的能力。拟议中的飞行机器人和二维振动器的集成构成了RPI NEES设施的实质性能力改进，RPI将能够为地震工程研究界和实践工程师提供服务。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，在高达100g的高离心加速度下，在使用2D振动筛震动之前或震动事件之间，无需停止离心机来放置和/或移除振动筛或机器人。由于垂直空间有限，为了在离心机上同时容纳二维激振器和飞行机器人，RPI还将开发可伸缩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，例如：(1)在不同方向施加静动力载荷，(2)打桩，(3)挖掘土壤以模拟施工活动，(4)使用校准探针对土壤特性进行现场测试，(5)土壤修复，(6)空中流体注入和采样进行被动现场修复。该设备将通过NEES Consortium， Inc. （RPI NEES设施）提供给地震工程研究界。该奖项由NSF NEES主要研究设备和设施建设（MREFC）项目资助，是国家减少地震灾害计划（NEHRP）的一个组成部分。

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).