Ferrocement in a large shaking table

A critical part of the large-scale earthquake simulation facility at the State Univ. of New York at Buffalo is the shaking table itself. The table is a prestressed composite sandwich structure consisting of a steel frame, a superimposed prestressed-reinforced concrete grid, and ferrocement faces. The ferrocement was found to be particularly useful as the table surface layers. Its unique characteristics led to a very thin yet stiff facing, which greatly improved the overall dynamic behavior of the structure. The present paper describes the table's structure, emphasizing the role of the ferrocement in the system and the determination of the required static and dynamic properties using this rarely utilized material. The construction of the table and various problems encountered are also examined. The paper concludes with a comparison of the actual tested performances and the theoretical design values.