Database of Uniaxial Shaking Table Tests for a Two-Storey Steel-Frame Structure

Description:

This data set contains data from experiments conducted on a two-storey steel-frame structure, involving sine-sweep, white noise, impulse, and earthquake loading. The experiments were carried out using a uniaxial shaking table of the Institute of Structural Analysis and Dynamics (LBB) - RWTH Aachen University, in cooperation with the Institute of Structural Steel (STB) - RWTH Aachen and the Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering (CWE) – RWTH Aachen.

Test structure:

The test structure was a two-storey, single-bay moment resisting frame (MRF) in the direction of excitation. In the perpendicular direction, a concentrically braced system provided lateral stability. The dimensions of the test structure were: 2.40 m length, 2.40 m width, and 3.78 m total height. Each floor had a distinct height: 2.02 m for the first floor and 1.76 m for the second. The moment resisting connections were realized as bolted extended unstiffened endplate joints. The column web panel was strengthened by two supplementary web plates (SWP) and continuity plates (CP). The base plate was meticulously modified to allow for rotation movement in order to approximate a pinned boundary condition. In addition, diaphragm action was ensured using diagonally arranged L-profiles in the plane of each floor. For additional mass, four steel I-profiles, each weighting 1650 kg were attached to the main structure (2 on each floor) and were secured by using steel U-profiles.  An industrial pressure vessel with a self-weight of 100 kg, which remained empty for the first phase of the experimental campaign, was additionally mounted on the first floor. 

The properties of the frame structure are:

• Columns: HEA200 S355-J2 + 2 SWP + 6 CP
• Beams: HEA160 S235-JR
• Bolts: 8x M16, 10.9 HV
• Joints: Partial strength, semi-rigid
• End-plate: 272x190x8 mm
• Welds: Full penetration groove welds

Test setup:

The shaking table specifications are:

• Table size: 3.0x3.0 m
• Max. specimen mass: 10 t
• Max. overturning moment: 30 m t
• Max. actuator stroke: +/- 250 mm
• Max. table velocity: +/- 1 m/s at rated load
• Max. table acceleration: +/- 1g at rated load
• Test frequency: 0 to 50 Hz

The instrumentation scheme of the test setup consisted mainly of accelerometers, displacement tranducers and strain gauges, measuring the excitation provided by the shaking table and the response of the structure. Regarding the global response of the test structure, the recordings of the accelerometers and displacement tranducers indicated in the uploaded file 'Instrumentation_Scheme_v1.0.0.pdf' are provided. 

The properties of the accelerometers are:

• Type: M3701-series
• Manufacturer: PCB Piezotronics, Inc.
• Measurement range: +/- 3g
• Frequency range: 0-500 Hz
• Sensitivity: 900 mV/g
• Resolution: 2.2e-5g
• Noise: 1 µg/Hz^-0.5

The properties of the displacement tranducers are:

• Type: LZW-M-500
• Manufacturer: WayCon Positionsmesstechnik GmbH
• Measurement range: +/- 250 mm
• Linearity: +/- 0.05%
• Repeatability: 0.01 mm
• Displacement force: ≤15 N
• Displacement speed: ≤5 m/s

Files:

• Load_Protocols_v1.0.0.pdf
  • .pdf file listing all load protocols applied to the structure.
• Time_Histories_v1.0.0.pdf
  • .pdf file displaying the acceleration and displacement time histories according to the load protocols.
• Data_v1.0.0.zip
  • Contains all data files according to the load protocols.
  • The experimental data is provided as .csv files for each load protocol. The experiments are named by the load protocol. A .pdf file contains the corresponding data plots.
• References_v1.0.0.bib
  • Contains a bibtex reference with the associated publications.
• Shake_Table.jpg
  • Photo of the shaking table without any specimen.
• Test_Structure_v1.0.0.jpg
  • Photo of the shaking table including the test structure.
• Test_Structure_Sketch_v1.0.0.pdf
  • .pdf file illustrating the test structure.
• Instrumentation_Scheme_v1.0.0.pdf
  • .pdf file illustrating the sensor placements on the test structure.

File format of the data sets:

The data is stored in .csv files, where each file contains the following columns:

• Time: Time in seconds since the start of the test (time step equals 0.003 s).
• Acc_0: Acceleration signal measured in m/s² on the shaking table.
• Acc_1: Acceleration response of the structure measured in m/s² on the first floor.
• Acc_2: Acceleration response of the structure measured in m/s² on the second floor.
• Disp_0: Displacement signal measured mm on the shaking table.
• Disp_1: Displacement response of the structure measured in mm on the first floor.
• Disp_2: Displacement response of the structure measured in mm on the second floor.

These data files can easily be uploaded using the pandas library in Python. For example by:

import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv('LP01_Sweep_001.csv')
time = df["Time"]
acc_0 = df["Acc_0"]
disp_0 = df["Disp_0"]

Contact:

Please send your enquiries regarding the shaking table to dynamics@lbb.rwth-aachen.de. Further information can be found on our website.

Usage/License:

• The data is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
• If you have used our data and are publishing your work, we ask you to please reference both
  • this database by its DOI, and
  • any publication that is associated with the experiments. See the "References_v1.0.0.bib" for the associated publication references.

Fundings:

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - Grant number: INST 222/1161-1 FUGG. Einaxialer Schwingtisch für dynamische Modell- und Bauteilversuche.
• Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - Grant number: 03G0892A. ROBUST – Nutzerorientiertes Erdbebenfrühwarnsystem mit intelligenten Sensorsystemen und digitalen Bauwerksmodellen – Entwicklung Installation und Anwendung von sensorbasierten Monitoringsystemen mit BIM-Integration zur Echtzeit-Schadenerkennung in kritischen Infrastrukturen.