Civil Engineering structures are subjected to short duration dynamic loads due to vehicle impact, ice impact on bridge piers and off shore oil platforms, debris impact during storms or earthquakes, pounding during earthquakes, projectile impact from failed rotating machinery, accidental or intentional explosions, and many other sources. The present equipment request is aimed at augmenting a unique large scale outdoor pendulum test facility dedicated to studies on the response of structures to short- duration dynamic loads. The existing facility was completed in 1989, and is capable of testing full-scale structures. However, this facility does not have an appropriate data acquisition system and its use is significantly curtailed by weather conditions. The requested equipment will enable the researchers to develop a smaller indoor testing facility for precise parallel studies on small-scale models of the prototypes tested in the outdoor facility. furthermore, the advanced data acquisition system could be employed also for large scale tests. The combination of accurate full-scale and reduced-scale experimental studies will enable the researchers to develop scaling and loading realm of structural behavior. Fundamental treatment of material and structural response under short duration dynamic effects would be combined for precisely defining resistance mechanisms and their contributions to observed structural behavior. ***
