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，以提升小乔治·E·布朗的实验能力。地震工程模拟网络(NEES)位于RPI的土工离心机设施，将由NEES Consortium，Inc.运营，作为2005财年至2014财年的国家共享设施。RPI NEES现场的主要设备包括150克吨的土工离心机、2D振动器、2D层流箱、4D飞行机器人、基于网络的数据采集系统、先进仪器以及远程呈现和远程参与能力。根据这一奖项，RPI将升级和集成飞行中的机器人和2D振动器，以便它们都可以用于相同的地震模拟离心机实验。最初的合作协议CMS-0086555没有提供这种能力，以建立NEES RPI设备点。拟议的飞行机器人和2D振动器的集成构成了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离心机上对更大的土壤模型执行复杂的操作，离心机的加速度高达100g，在摇动之前或使用2D振动器进行摇动事件之间，无需停止离心机来放置和/或移除振动器或机器人。由于垂直空间有限，为了在离心机上同时容纳2D振动器和飞行中的机器人，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中操作，例如：(1)在不同方向施加静态和动态载荷，(2)打桩，(3)挖掘土壤以模拟建筑活动，(4)使用校准探头对土壤特性进行现场测试，(5)土壤修复，以及(6)飞行中液体注入和采样，以进行被动现场修复。该设备将通过NEES联合体，Inc.，RPI NEES设施提供给地震工程研究界。该奖项由NSF NEES重大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).