Large Scale Mobile Shakers and Associated Instrumentation for Dynamic Field Studies of
Geotechnical and Structural Systems
Kenneth H. Stokoe II, Ellen M. Rathje, and Clark Wilson
University of Texas at Austin
ABSTRACT
The University of Texas (UT) is developing new large-scale field-testing capabilities as part
of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation
(NEES). The goals of NEES are to develop a networked collaboratory of next generation
earthquake engineering experimental research sites available to all researchers in the earthquake
engineering community. The University of Texas NEES experimental site will consist of a large
three-dimensional (3-D) mobile shaker, two stand-alone cubical shakers, an instrumentation van,
field instrumentation with wired and wireless sensors, multi-channel data acquisition and
processing systems, and teleparticipation equipment. This equipment represents a significant
advancement over the current state-of-the-art in dynamic characterization of geomaterials and
large-scale field testing of soil deposits and structures.
The UT NEES experimental site, its motivation, and its potential impact on earthquake
engineering will be described. Potential research project applications using the developed
equipment will be discussed. Results from current research being performed using the large
mobile shaker currently owned by the University of Texas will be presented. This current
research is aimed at measuring nonlinear soil properties in the ground and inducing soil
liquefaction in in situ soil deposits.