Challenge:
Simulate earthquakes and excite the flexible modes
of a tall structure. Design a control system to counteract the effects
of the quakes on the structure.
Description:
Designed to simulate earthquakes and evaluate the
performance of active mass dampers, the shake table consists of a 1
Hp brushless servo motor driving a ‡" lead screw. The lead
screw drives a circulating ball nut which is coupled to the 18"x18" table.
The table itself slides on low friction linear ball bearings on 2 ground-hardened
shafts. It can drive a 15 Kg. Mass at 2.5 g. Maximum travel is +/-
7cm.
Difficulty:
Undergraduate second course / Graduate / Research
