Experimental Methods in Earthquake Engineering - Dynamic Behavior of Concrete and Seismic Engineering - page 190

Figure 5.7. Test with a 1/3-scale load-bearing wall model on the AZALEE table
The advantage of using a shaking table lies in the fact that it is the only test
means that allows simulation of structure inertia with a distributed mass. In fact, in
the case of pseudo-dynamic tests, the jacks only apply forces on nodes where all
masses are supposed to be lumped. On the other hand, because the jacks have to set
both the table and the model in motion, it is quite easy to see that the limit is linked
to the maximum load supported by the table. In Europe, several laboratories carry
out shaking table tests: Table 5.1 gives the characteristics of the tables they use for
testing civil engineering structures.
The largest European table is located at the CEA in Saclay. It offers 6 degrees of
freedom, is 6 m x 6 m in dimension, and can support a 100-ton structure. The
biggest table is Japanese and is located in Tadotsu. It is 15 m x 15 m and can support
1,000 tons. A few projects with large tables are being studied in the USA (a multi-
axial, 4 m x 4 m, long stroke (1 m) table at the University of Buffalo) and in Japan
(a multi-axial long stroke table that can support 1,200 tons).