Experimental and analytical studies on the response of 1/4-scale models of freestanding laboratory equipment subjected to strong earthquake shaking

This paper investigates the seismic response of freestanding equipment when subjected to strong earthquake motions (2% probability of being exceeded in 50 years). A two-step approach is followed because the displacement limitations of the shake table do not permit full-scale experiments. First, shake table tests are conducted on quarter-scale wooden block models of the equipment. The results are used to validate the commercially available dynamic simulation software Working Model 2D. Working Model is then used to compute the response of the full-scale freestanding equipment when subjected to strong, 2% in 50 years hazard motions. The response is dominated by sliding, with sliding displacements reaching up to 70 cm. A physically motivated dimensionless intensity measure and the associated engineering demand parameter are identified with the help of dimensional analysis, and the results of the numerical simulations are used to obtain a relationship between the two that leads to ready-to-use fragility curves.