The Modular Testbed Building, or MTB2, will be the first specimen tested on the newly upgraded 6 degrees of freedom Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table (LHPOST6). The MTB2 is designed to be reconfigurable and reusable community shared-use equipment resource. Reuse is accomplished by having a connection scheme that allows yielded members to be replaced, while leaving the rest of the structure in place. This modular design enables low-cost testing of components and subsystems at large to full-scale under simulated dynamic 3D loading. This has large implications for seismic performance verification and acceptance of innovative designs including seismic protective systems, lateral force resisting systems, stairs, nonstructural systems, among others. The Modular Test Bed also provides for payload opportunities within the broader community.
MTB2 reconfiguration allows for three different structural configurations as depicted in the renderings above. The SMF configuration results in the most flexible building framing system, utilizing a moment frame with replaceable shear fuse plastic hinges in the longitudinal direction. The BRB-1 configuration involves 3-levels of braced frames with buckling restrained braces (BRBs) placed on each floor. Finally, the BRB-2 configuration is identical to BRB-1 with the exception of the replacement of the BRBs on the first floor with the moment shear fuses in an effort to promote a softer first floor.
The standard building configuration consists of a three story (12'/story) two bay (16'/bay) by one bay (20') frame structure.
Investigators
Tara Hutchinson
Professor
Project Role: UCSD PI
University of California, San Diego
Department of Structural Engineering
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0085
La Jolla, California 92093-0085
Phone:(858)534-7436
Email:tahutchinson@ucsd.edu
Gilberto Mosqueda
Professor
Project Role: UCSD CoPI
University of California, San Diego
Department of Structural Engineering
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0085
La Jolla, California 92093-0085
Phone:(858)534-4722
Email:gmosqueda@ucsd.edu
Chris P Pantelides
Professor
Project Role: UU PI
University of Utah
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
110 Central Campus Drive #2000b
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Phone:(801)585-3991
Email:c.pantelides@utah.edu
Michael Morano
PhD Student
University of California, San Diego
Department of Structural Engineering
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0085
La Jolla, California 92093-0085
Email: mmorano@eng.ucsd.edu
Junwei Liu
PhD Student
University of Utah
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
110 Central Campus Drive #2000b
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Email:junwei.liu@utah.edu
Louis Lin
PhD Student
University of California, San Diego
Department of Structural Engineering
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0085
La Jolla, California 92093-0085
Email:lolin@ucsd.edu
Zane Schemmer
Masters Student (Summer 2021 NHERI REU)
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2594 Hearst Avenue
Berkeley, California 94720
Email:zane.schemmer@berkeley.edu