Component Test of a Gap Damper System to Control Isolator Displacements in Extreme Earthquakes

A series of cyclic testing at Auburn University's Structural Research Laboratory to evaluate the behavior of the gap damper system. Using a actuator horizontally attached to a reaction block, the motion of the bottom of the building and "nub" is simulated in a cyclic manner. At a specified nub displacement of 2.5", contact is made with a bumper system that is attached to 4 viscous dampers. The dampers are attached to load cells and have stringpots to measure displacements. The primary objectives of the experiment is to capture the overall system behavior and verify proper mechanisms within the system so that it can be used in further experiments.