This facility is in-house designed and assembled for true simulation of earthquake motion for small scale models of structures. The servo-hydraulic driven shake table platform is 1.2x1.8 m which has a pay load capacity of 40 kN and can generate Kobe class earthquake motions with its maximum velocity of 1.5 m/s. The shake table is fixed to in-house built 800 kN reaction block which is in the form of 8x4.5m new floor space suitably isolated from the rest of laboratory structures. It was developed at less than one-third the cost of the fully imported system.

Various components of the shake table system assemble and work simultaneously to produce the desired motion. The desired displacement time history or acceleration time history is inputted into the controller. The input displacement command is then converted by the controller to voltage time history which controls the spool openings in the servo valve. The spool opening and the pressure difference across it determines the flow of oil which further determines the force which the actuator applies on the shake table to produce the desired displacement. After implementing the command given by controller error is calculated between actual and desired motion. The controller has inbuilt feedback mechanism which it utilizes in correcting the voltage time history in real time. The data acquisition forms another major part of the shake table system. Sensors like peizo-accelerometer, LVDT and SS-1 are generally used to measure shake table's response.

• Sinha, P. and Rai, D. C. (2009). “Development and performance of single-axis shake table for earthquake simulation,“ Current Science, Indian Academy of Sciences, vol. 96, no. 12, 1611-1620.