10/15/2007

The Physics of Shake Tables

Patrick N. Laplace, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
LSSL Laboratory Manager

NEES@UNevada-Reno NEES@UBuffalo NEES@UC San Diego

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

Some of my favorite sayings

with respect to Shake Tables

There is no such thing as a free lunch. (Milton Friedman)

For everything you gain, you have to give

something up. (Laplace)

If you cant measure it, you cant affect it. (Laplace)

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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The classic spring-

spring-mass
mass--damper
C

Input (ui) M Output (uo)

1. Apply a constant amplitude input (ui

open loop) at varying frequencies.
2. Measure the output (uo) at each
input frequency
3. Plot (uo/ui versus frequency)

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

Replace spring/damper with an

actuator
Input (ui)

M Output (uo)

1. K is the oil column stiffness

2. C is the actuator damping
3. M is the table mass
4. Plot (uo/ui versus frequency)

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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What can we infer from this plot?

Output = Input Output >> Input Output << Input

Good! Not Good! Not Good!

But remember: Im running Open Loop!

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

Lets run in Closed Loop

Input (ui)

+-
error
M Output (uo)

But I still get this

response!!!
Why?

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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Actuator LVDT
LVDT

1. Apply a constant 0.5 g sine

wave at various frequencies
2. Measure table displacement
3. Remember, we are still closing
the loop with displacement!

Conclusion: LVDT feedback is very small at higher

frequencies.

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

Now add a specimen on the table

Specimen
Oil Column
Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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What about delay (phase)?

Open loop Closed loop phase Closed loop phase

with specimen

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

What can we do?

Displacement (D)

Velocity (V) = dt(D)

Acceleration (A) = dt(V)

Jerk (J) = dt(A)

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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Feed Forward (Lead Terms)E

Displacement
Velocity
Acceleration
Jerk

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

ResultsE
No forward
terms

With forward
terms

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ButE
1. Forward Terms are NOT feedback terms!
2. Phase and Gain problems STILL exist for
specimens above and below oil-column
frequency!

We can adequately deal with specimens

below oil column using notch filters
(beware non-linear specimens) and
compensation.
Specimens above oil column are difficult
due to phase matching
Why are they called Seismic Tables and
not Vibration Tables?

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

How do we get D, V, A, and J?

Seismologist Shake Table (reference generator)

1. Records A from accelerometer 1. Gets A from student
2. Pre-filter padding 2. High-pass filter
3. Filtering 3. Integrate for V and D and
4. Integration differentiate for J

5. Baseline correction
6. Post filtering
7. Experience
8. Repeat?

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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High Pass Filter

Calulate Displacement from Acceleration

Filter cut-in = 1Hz

Filter cut-in = 0.1Hz

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

Differentiate Displacement to get

Acceleration

Conditioned

Unconditioned

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Conclusions:
1. Shake tables and specimens can at a minimum be described by spring-
mass dampers
2. Delay (phase) is partly from the shake table and partly from the controller-
actuator-instrument control loop.
3. Delay (phase) can be dealt with up to a point
4. We havent talked about
1. Dealing with specimen resonance
2. Shake table non-linearities
3. External disturbances (Coherence?)
4. Multiple Tables!
5. Multiple Tables with Actuators!

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

And please remember

1. The performance of a Shake Table is highly dependent
on the operator
2. Shake Tables will never do exactly what you want
3. We have a set of tools, and each test requires a
different combination of these tools
4. There is no magic control algorithm that will solve all
these challenges (MRAC, MCS, MFAC each work on a
small subset of control problems)
5. MTS builds the best Shake Tables in the world
6. My favorite sayings from the second slide

Shake Table Training Workshop 2007 Reno, NV

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Thank you!

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