Multi-axis vibration control of a six-axis motion platform for earthquake waveform replication

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to allow the use of a motion simulation platform as a shaker for earthquake replication. The challenges are linked to the whole communication chain that need to be established between the data acquisition system and the platform. The output of the controller for vibration control testing is normally an analog signal whereas motion simulation platforms typically requires UDP datagrams to communicate with any external hardware, due to internal safety checks on the signals that cannot be by passed. The connection needs to be fast and reliable. The investigated and developed solution requires the use of an embedded PC for Ethernet as additional layer. This PC needs to convert the analog signals in an UDP datagram with all the information required by the platform. The effectiveness of the proposed solution is shown replicating the scaled waveforms of the 1940 El-Centro (California) earthquake. The results obtained promote the use of a standard off-the-shelf vibration controller with a motion simulation platform for earthquake waveform replication.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English
Supervisor	Bart Peeters (Promotor) & Emiliano Mucchi (Promotor)