See Photo: ANCO R-6 Triaxial Table

Seismic shake table technology was strongly influenced by the work of Fischer and his colleagues in the sixties and seventies at the Westinghouse seismic testing facilities in Large, Pennsylvania. This facility eventually installed several pioneering shake tables and shock testing machines, and was the site where many of the concepts for the industry seismic test standards (IEEE-344) were developed and verified. In 1992 Astro Nuclear/Dynamics, Inc. (ANDI) purchased the test facilities in Large from Westinghouse and have continued to offer equipment qualification and dedication services to the nuclear industry, as well as to upgrade the test facilities.

As part of this upgrade, ANDI has contracted with ANCO to deliver a five ton capacity independent triaxial shake table (model R-6), data acquisition system, and digital chatter monitoring system. This independent triaxial system will supplement the existing vector biaxial tables at ANDI. The R-6 is capable of peak to peak displacements in excess of 8 inches, peak input velocity of 50 inches/sec, and peak acceleration (ZPA) of 2-4 g’s, depending on the test specimen weight. Peak spectral accelerations of 15 g’s on a 5% response spectra are possible. The table top is in the shape of a hexagon, 10 feet across the flats.

Using the R-6 ANDI will be able to achieve spectra that will test power plant and telecommunication equipment for almost all sites and building locations, and meet the requirements of such industry standards as IEEE-344-1987 and Bellcore TR-NWT-000063.