Shaking-table tests

A model dam on the shaking table

Shaking-table tests were carried out on a scaled down model of a concrete gravity dam. (Why?) The models were 1/30th the size of a real 30 metre high dam, so they were only one metre tall.

When a scale-model of a structure is made, sometimes materials different to the real structure are used, as the strength of the material is also scaled down. These models used a mixture of plaster, sand and a very fine grained earth to represent the concrete. To make the model, the wet mixture was poured into a mould of the dam (Show Me). When the mixture set hard, the mould was taken off to reveal the model.

The model was then set up on the shaking-table. (Show Me). Some extra mass and a tank of water were set up behind the model (Explain)