A project is proposed to perform multi-NEES site structural testing of a common structure in conjunction with soil-structure interaction. The objective of the proposed project is to provide a realistic test bed application with which to verify and extend the components of the NEESgrid and the NEES equipment sites for distributed simulation. The proposed project will involve the collaboration of three NEES Equipment Sites (Lehigh University; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and RPI), the NEES System Integrator, and National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA).
The test bed will consist of a model of the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway. This structure was damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Each of the equipment sites will house a physical model of a component of the bridge, with the superstructure being modeled analytically using the NCSA parallel computing facility. Using hybrid testing methods, command displacements from NCSA will be issued to the physical substructures at each of the equipment sites, which in turn are imposed and the measured restoring forces returned to NCSA. The
communication between the sites and NCSA will involve the use of the Internet in conjunction with software and protocols developed by the NEES System Integrator.
The proposed project utilizes aspects of simulation that comprise many of the applications of the NEES Equipment Sites and NEESgrid, including: (1) advanced analytical geotechnical modeling under dynamic loading; (2) advanced analytical structural modeling under dynamic loading; (3) advanced geotechnical testing using centrifuges; and (4) advanced structural testing using multi-degrees-of-freedom testing facilities. The Lehigh NEES Equipment Site will be responsible for one of the bridge piers. This pier will be built and tested at the
Lehigh NEES Equipment Site. Lehigh will also be involved in analytical modeling of structural components of the bridge structure to perform analytical simulations in conjunction with distributed simulation in some of the phases of the project.
The results from the proposed project will offer numerous benefits. The NEES Equipment Sites will benefit from an evaluation of the software and hardware currently established for distributed testing. The data repository and telepresence for NEES will be put into action, enabling the general community to observe the tests and observe that the NEES vision of distributed simulation is finally realized and proven. Finally, the project will help to extend the state-of-the-art in integrated experimental-analytical simulation in earthquake engineering.
