Project Description
The Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing (CIEST) houses a large 400 g-ton centrifuge (the 2nd largest in the US). This centrifuge has recently been upgraded with a shake table so that can input scaled earthquake motions into a scaled model of soil-structure systems. Additional upgrades include a specialized high-speed, high-resolution camera with the ability to track individual sand particles. Geotechnical models are constructed in a rigid container with carefully defined layers of soil and often buried or surface structures. Models are filled with instrumentation like accelerometers, LVDTs, and pressure transducers that collect data at the target g-level, and then take data at a much higher rate when the shake table inputs the earthquake motion. A student will assist graduate students and research faculty in the process of creating geotechnical models during earthquake loading, setting up experiments, analyzing and visualizing data, and reporting results. Opportunities for lots of hands-on experience, maintenance, and troubleshooting with a unique large-scale electromechanical testing system.
Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing
Special Requirements
- Basic structural and mechanical analysis
- An interest in geotechnical or structural engineering
- Interest in learning about instrumentation and signal processing
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
- Skilled in SolidWorks and/or AutoCAD are all desired
- Experience with MATLAB, Labview, or other common programming languages is also preferred, but not required
- Prior hands-on manufacturing experience or experience with sensors and instrumentation would be helpful but not required
Contact
- Shideh Dashti (faculty)
- Brad Wham (faculty)
- Katherine Odell (graduate student)