Carleton Multi-Hazard Research Facility: Infrastructure and Preliminary Hybrid Testing
Joshua E. Woods1, Sean Miller1, Jeffrey Erochko1, David T. Lau1
1 Ph.D. Candidate, M.A.Sc. Student, Associate Professor, and Professor
Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON, Canada
josh.woods@carleton.ca
sean.miller@carleton.ca
jeffrey.erochko@carleton.ca
david.lau@carleton.ca
Abstract. Recently, a centre for multi-hazard infrastructure resilience research has been established at Carleton University. This centre aims to study the effects of multiple natural hazards (e.g. earthquake, blast, fire, and wind) on civil engineering infrastructure. A major focus of this research centre is on hybrid simulation and its ability to capture the performance of large-scale civil engineering structures under different load effects. This paper describes experimental resources available to conduct multi-hazard research and reports on the progress of a preliminary hybrid simulation investigation of two multi-storey structures subjected to earthquake ground motions. The two prototype structures are a seven-storey heavy timber building and a three-storey reinforced concrete building located in a seismically active region of Western Canada. The prototype structures, substructured analytical models, and experimental test setups for the hybrid simulation are described for both prototype structures. To verify that the substructured models are working properly, hybrid simulation test rehearsals are conducted. Results show that the substructured models behave comparably to fully analytical simulations. Hybrid test rehearsals are shown to be a useful tool to verify that a substructured model is functioning as intended prior to conducting the complete hybrid simulation including the experimental substructure. Preliminary results and initial challenges in the implementation of the hybrid testing program are also discussed.
Keywords: Multi-hazard; hybrid testing, reinforced concrete, heavy timber, test rehearsal.
