StrainSense
helps Servotest research earthquake damage
The Challenge
Servotest is the World leader in servohydraulic test and motion
simulation. For a number of years they have been lending their
experience to the Seismic research arena to enable research institutes,
power companies and construction manufacturers to build safer
structures and bridges. The vision was to put a structure on
top of a table, to see how it bares up to a simulated earthquake.
These systems require huge dynamic force capabilities to be able
to simulate earthquakes. In addition the building that houses
the system, and its foundations, must be reinforced to cope with
the stresses.
The Solution
To this end Servotest developed their state of the art Multi
Axis Shake Table system. The Digital Control Systems precisely
controls high performance actuators of the three linear axes
and roll, pitch and yaw. The systems are designed to precisely
reproduce actual seismic conditions to test the ability of the
specimen to withstand earthquake inputs.
The StrainSense involvement
When supplying the Seismic testing systems to customers Fuzhou
University, Central South University, Lanzhou University and
South China University, Servotest turned to their key business
partner, StrainSense, to supply the accelerometers. These accelerometers
played a crucial part by providing the information on the level
of vibration. This data was then used in the feedback loop of
the acceleration profile on earthquake test systems, aiding the
control of the 1.3Mega W of hydraulic power available.
The Results
This market leading system gives engineers an invaluable insight
into one of Mother Nature's greatest threats. The system at Fuzhou
is in final stages of commissioning and has already been used
to subject two Models of a suspension bridge to look at the dynamic
behaviour and resultant amplitudes of the bridge under earthquake
conditions.
Mike Howard, Managing Director of Servotest comments "StrainSense
supply's higher precision sensors than previously available,
allowing greater confidence in the testing parameters.
April 2011
