Soils

Shear stack on the shaking table

The EERC study the way soils and structures behave together during earthquakes. They have designed a special box called a "shear stack" for testing soils on the shaking-table. The box is filled with the soil to be studied. (Show Me) and sometimes, a model of a structure is added to the set-up.

The shear stack has flexible sides. It is made up from layers of aluminium frames separated by layers of rubber. This design makes the soil behave as if it was surrounded by more soil, and not enclosed in a small space. This represents a real situation more accurately.

Here are two types of structure that have been tested.

Retaining Wall
Buildings