Strong Floor and Reaction Wall

The strong floor and reaction wall are among the most important components in structural laboratories for conducting tests on structural components and laboratory models of structures. Since research on scaled models of structures often involves serious ambiguities related to scaling effects, testing on large-scale models is usually required for important projects. In this regard, the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering has designed and constructed large-scale strong floors and reaction walls to meet the country’s needs for conducting large-scale tests on sensitive and important structures. The strong floor and reaction wall is built with the dimensions of 20×30 meters and can perform multiple tests simultaneously.

The reaction wall in this facility is designed as two orthogonal walls connected to each other. Each of these walls is 15 meters long and 12 meters high, and they are connected to the strong floor. The strong floor and reaction wall is considered as a rigid support for horizontal and vertical actuators connected to the test specimen. The system is designed to simultaneously test a real-size four-story building in two horizontal directions under the effect of large earthquakes. Using this support system testing on structural models of taller and larger buildings is also possible (e.g. at 1/2 and 1/4 scales).

The strong floor and reaction wall can also be used for testing separate structural components such as beams, columns, walls, or substructures made from various materials at real-scale. This support system can also be used for testing industrial components, such as large aircraft wings, large wind turbine blades, and other large-scale components. Furthermore, it allows testing of oil rigs, offshore platforms, vessels, and mechanical parts related to dams and power plants.

The IIEES strong floor and reaction wall have several important features that distinguish it from other similar systems. One of these features is the use of a special type of clamp for connecting the specimen to the floor and wall, which allows faster and more accurate installation of specimens. This connection also enables the specimens to be firmly attached to the floor and wall with a fixed bearing connection rather than the typical frictional connections. This feature enhances the test set-ups by eliminating the possibility of sliding specimens on the connection surface during test.

Another feature of this strong floor and reaction wall is the routing of the hydraulic oil flow feeding the actuators outside the test area, behind the wall and under the strong floor, reducing the risks of oil leakage in the laboratory environment and the potential injury to the people in the lab. Furthermore, the majority of cables and wiring related to sensors, actuators, and the data recording system pass underneath the floor and behind the walls, improving workflow during the testing process.