Lehigh University
NHERI Experimental Facility

Real-time Cyber-Physical Structural Systems Laboratory

Research, ECO, Researcher Training Usage, Conducting Pilot Test

Full description can be found under Resources

Test Beds

  • MTS Actuator Model 244.21G2  (2x)
    • Servo Valve: 30gpm
    • Force: 50kN (11kips)
    • Displacement: ± 254mm (± 10in)
    • Velocity: 0.74m/s (29in/s)
  • MTS Actuator Model 244.20G2S (1x)
    • Servo Valve: 90gpm
    • Force: 82kN (18.5kips)
    • Displacement: ± 177mm (± 7in)
    • Velocity: 1.29m/s (51in/s)
  • MTS Actuator Model 244.20 (2x)
    • Servo Valve: 30gpm
    • Force: 100kN (22kips)
    • Displacement: ± 0.76mm (± 3in)
    • Velocity: 0.38m/s (15in/s)

Damper Devices

  • Four Nonlinear Viscous Dampers
  • One Rotary Friction Damper

Multi-Directional Shake Table

  • Multi-directional motions, including two orthogonal translations (X and Y-axis) and in-plane rotation.
  • A payload of 13 kips (5.9 tons) at 1g acceleration.  
  • Table platen size of 6 ft × 6 ft. 
  • Maximum table motions of ±7 in. (X-axis) and ±10 in. (Y-axis).Peak velocities of 51 inch/sec (X-axis) and 29 inch/sec (Y-axis).   
  • The multi-directional shake table can can be linked to  multiple experimental test beds and nonlinear analytical substructures that model the remaining part of a structural system and its foundation system to perform real-time hybrid simulations that concurrently use the shake table and the test beds.
     

Control and Acquisition

A real-time integrated control architecture with software that is identical to that of the Lehigh NHERI Experimental Facility multi-directional real-time hybrid simulation integrated control system, enabling real-time multi-directional shake table hybrid simulations to be performed.

  • Servotest Systems Pulsar Real-time Integrated Control System operating at 2048Hz
  • Speedgoat Performance Core Real-Time Simulink Target
  • 32 channel high speed Pacific Instruments Data Acquisition System


Use Case Scenarios

 

 

Real-time hybrid simulation of a 2-story reinforced concrete structure with a next-generation rotary friction damper subject to earthquake ground motions scaled to the MCE hazard level.

 

 

Characterization testing of a shape memory alloy-friction damper

 

 

Characterization testing of a nonlinear viscous damper

Characterization testing of a next-generation rotary friction damper

 

 

Characterization testing of a shape memory alloy-friction damper at elevated temperatures using heating elements and cold temperature chamber

 

 

3-D Real-time hybrid simulation of a tall building with tuned mass rotary friction damper subjected to a 700 year MRI 110 mph wind storm.

Real-time hybrid simulations of floor isolation systems (RII Track-4:Quantifying Seismic Resilience of Multi-Functional Floor Isolation Systems through Cyber-Physical Testing (OIA 1929151), PI - Scott Harvey, University of Oklahoma)