This award partially supports the acquisition of a basic instrumentation package and other essential equipment for the University of California San Diego (UCSD) geotechnical centrifuge. In order to accommodate the research and educational capabilities of this centrifuge, the Geomechanics Laboratory at UCSD is being renovated. Upon completion of the proposed work, the centrifuge will be capable of conducting instrumented experiments for both educational and research purposes. Educational applications will receive major attention with intended far-reaching accessibility via the Internet. Undergraduate and graduate UCSD students are already participating in this development phase (http://webshaker.ucsd.edu ). Near-term research objectives include use of an electric-motor actuator system to conduct above-ground cyclic loading tests on shallow and deep foundations. This system will be the backbone of seismic performance-based design research in the broad area of soil-structure interaction. Additional long-term plans include the development of robotics capabilities in order to broaden the variety of educational and research applications. Such robotics applications include in-flight simulation of Cast-In-Drilled-Hole (CIDH) pile construction, as well as other ground/foundation modification/retrofitting techniques
