Shake Table on DIY Network

Check out Jacobs School researchers on House vs. Nature on the DIY Network.  The photo above is a screen shot from the episode...showing one of the computer rooms at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center at the UC San Diego Jacobs School.

Bridge Column Shake Video...have you seen it yet?

If you haven't seen the 24 foot bridge column swaying on the shake table, check out this video on the Jacobs School YouTube Channel.

Bridge Column Shake Video on Union Tribune Web Site

The video of yesterday's bridge column shaking, along with a summary of the project and some insights from structural engineering professor Jose Restrepo, are on the Science Quest blog.

Bridge Column Shake Footage on YouTube

A short clip from yesterday's shake test is on the Jacobs School YouTube channel. Learn more at the http://nees.ucsd.edu/.



The seismic behavior of full-scale bridge columns designed based on current Caltrans practice is being investigated using the UCSD shake table as part of an extensive test program with E-Defense (Japan) and UC Berkeley in an effort to improve current bridge design and analysis practices. Learn more: http://nees.ucsd.edu/projects/2010-bridge-column/

Shake Testing today: Bridge Columns

Today's shake tests out at Englekirk start in about 30 minutes.

Update: follow the latest from the shake tests today on twitter:  https://twitter.com/UCSDJacobs

A 24-foot tall bridge column will undergo a series of simulated earthquake tests up to a 7.0 magnitude, conducted by UC San Diego structural engineers, beginning on Sept. 20. The bridge column is modeled after those designed by CALTRANS over the last 15 years. It will be the first time engineers will test a full scale bridge column of this kind on an earthquake simulator. The engineers will test the seismic vulnerability of these bridge columns and to provide additional data for improving future designs.
Check out the live cam: http://nees.ucsd.edu/video/

Bridge Columns To Be Tested on Jacobs School Shake Table

A 24-foot tall bridge column will undergo a series of simulated earthquake tests up to a 7.0 magnitude, conducted by UC San Diego structural engineers, beginning on Sept. 20. The bridge column is modeled after those designed by CALTRANS over the last 15 years. It will be the first time engineers will test a full scale bridge column of this kind on an earthquake simulator.  The engineers will test the seismic vulnerability of these bridge columns and to provide additional data for improving future designs.

Check out the live cam: http://nees.ucsd.edu/video/

Shake Test Movie on Union Tribune Blog

Thirty seconds of footage from last week's shake test of a metal building out at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center is playing on the new science/technology/defense blog at the Union Tribune called Science Quest.

Stay tuned for more video and more into on the shake.

From the media advisory:

"Metal building systems make up a large portion of new low-rise, non-residential construction today. These systems are designed to be extremely efficient and their performance in earthquakes has been excellent over the years because they are strong, flexible and light in weight."

Structural Engineers Quoted in LaFee Story

Last week, Scott LaFee wrote an interesting story in the San Diego Union Tribune that looked at some of the similarities between Chile and California, both in terms of earthquakes and building codes.

Frieder Seible, Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering and professor of structural engineering, provided insights, as did structural engineering professor Jose Restrepo.

The deeper, stronger temblors in Chile often last for up to two minutes, while California quakes typically persist for 10 to 15 seconds, said Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego and an international expert on bridge and highway seismic safety.

Still, researchers such as Seible said every strong quake is potentially devastating and that most offer new insights. Both the magnitude-6.9 Loma Prieta temblor in 1989, which killed 63 people and caused $6 billion in damage, and the 6.7 Northridge quake in 1994, which killed 72 people and caused $20 billion in damage, resulted in significant revisions to seismic standards and building codes.

Read the full story here.

Jose Restrepo Offers Insights on Building Codes in Chile

In a Q&A by the Voice of San Diego, structural engineering professor Jose Restrepo provides insights on the building codes in Chile as well as some thoughts on readiness of California's buildings for an earthquake.

Restrepo is one of the structural engineering professors at the Jacobs School who builds and tests large-scale and full-scale models of buildings and other structures and then tests them on the world's largest outdoor shake table out at the UCSD Englekirk Structural Engineering Center.

One of Claire Trageser's quiestions and Jose Restrepo's answers are below. Read the full Q&A here.

UPDATE #1: Restrepo is also in this Univision story (you may need to get the latest version of Flash for the video to play).

So then these building codes in Chile helped them avert some of the
disaster?

Absolutely. Chile has an earthquake every 20 to 30 years, so they were very well aware that they were going be hit by a big earthquake. In Chile, they have a tradition in their building codes to be very strong. They also have a very good education system, where they go to universities for six years, so when they're finished they are very well trained. The training of architects and contractors, when it goes hand in hand with the building codes, gives a very good result.

Wind Turbine Shake Video

Video of wind turbine being tested at the UC San Diego Large Outdoor High-Performance Shake Table using the 1992 M7.3 Landers Earthquake Recorded Motion. The UCSD shake table is the largest outdoor shake table in the U.S. (More info on the shake in the media advisory.)

For more information and to find the original video, visit:http://nees.ucsd.edu/

Wind Turbine Shake Web Cam Screen capture

Wind Turbine Shake Time

UC San Diego engineers are expected to test a wind turbine under simulated earthquakes 7.0 magnitude and greater at 2 p.m. today, Feb 22. [web cam] [screen shot]

The 80-foot , 65-kilowatt turbine, donated by Oak Creek Energy Systems, was built in the 1980s and operated in Tehachapi, Calif.

Check out the live web cam:http://nees.ucsd.edu/resources/video-sw.shtml

media advisory below:

MEDIA ADVISORY:
Press Briefing and Dramatic Photo Opportunity Engineers to Shake Wind Turbine During Strong Simulated Jolts

WHEN: 2 p.m., Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 (test subject to weather conditions)

WHERE: UC San Diego Englekirk Structural Engineering Center, Camp Elliott (Scripps Ranch)10205 Pomerado Rd., San Diego, 92128 map

WHO: Ahmed Elgamal, Structural Engineering Professor, UC San Diego, Enrique Luco, Structural Engineering Professor, UC San Diego, Chia-Ming Uang, Structural Engineering Professor, UC San Diego, Reps from Oak Creek Energy Systems, an Escondido, Calif,.-based wind energy company

WHAT: Witness the dramatic shaking of a wind turbine during a series of simulated earthquakes at the UC San Diego Englekirk Structural Engineering Center. UC San Diego engineers are expected to test the turbine under simulated earthquakes 7.0 magnitude and greater. This is the second in a series of shake tests. The first set of tests earlier this month was the first time a wind turbine was tested on a shake table with the blades in operation. The 80-foot , 65-kilowatt turbine, donated by Oak Creek Energy Systems, was built in the 1980s and operated in Tehachapi, Calif. The same materials are used to build modern-day wind turbines, which stand 150 feet tall and higher. Little seismic research has been conducted on wind turbines until now. As wind farms become a growing critical component of the world’s “green” power generation, industry leaders and researchers are studying their performance and looking for ways to further enhance their seismic design. Under this $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, UCSD engineers will be able to do just that. The Englekirk Structural Engineering Center, which has the largest outdoor shake table in the world, is the only facility capable of testing a full scale wind turbine.

CONTACT: Andrea Siedsma, (760) 840-0494(cell); asiedsma@soe.ucsd.edu

Wind Turbine Shake Test on TV

KUSI is just one of the local TV stations that covered the earthquake tests of wind turbines. As far as we know, this is the first shake test of wind turbines in which the turbine blades were turning during the test. Below is what KUSI had to say:

UCSD quake-tests wind turbines

Earthquakes and renewable energy aren't usually mentioned in the same conversation, but a team of engineers at UC San Diego wants to know what one would do to the other.

Here is the link to the KUSI story with video.

Wind Turbines on the UCSD Earthquake Shake Table

Coming soon to an earthquake shake table in San Diego..

Structural engineers from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of engineering will shake a wind turbine in the next couple of weeks at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center.

Check out the live webcam: http://nees.ucsd.edu/resources/video-sw.shtml

Here is a PDF with more info about the project.