Center for Embedded Network Sensing

The nees@UCLA mobile field laboratory was utilized to collect data from forced and ambient vibration testing of a four-story RC building damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Both low amplitude broadband and moderate amplitude harmonic excitation were applied using a linear shaker and two eccentric mass shakers, respectively, and ambient vibrations were measured before and after each forced vibration test. Accelerations, interstory displacements, and curvature distributions were monitored using accelerometers, LVDTs and concrete strain gauges. Natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes for the first 7 modes were identified. Fundamental frequencies determined from the eccentric mass shaker tests were 70% to 75% of the values determined using ambient vibration data, and 92% to 93% of the values determined using the linear shaker test data. Larger frequency drops were observed in the NS direction of the building, apparently due to damage that was induced during the Northridge earthquake.