Calibration Tests of a Shaking Table Apparatus for Testing Large Scale Geotechnical Models

Abstract

A new shaking table apparatus consisting of a shaking table connected to a servo-hydraulic actuator, a large flexible soil container and an automated system for soil deposition, has been set up at the University of Messina and several calibration tests have been carried out. The paper describes the results of those aimed at (i) calibrating the soil deposition system and (ii) checking that the servo-hydraulic control system is capable to accurately reproduce a prescribed acceleration time-history at the shaking table platform, regardless the amplitude, frequency and energy content of the desired motion.