Establishment of Shock Table Testing Facility at IOE Pulchowk for Earthquake-Resilient Building Research in Nepal

Scope

Supply & Delivery of Equipment for Shock Table

Earthquake Resilience Research

The project involved the supply and delivery of specialized measurement equipment for a Shock Table facility at the Institute of Engineering (IoE), Pulchowk in Kathmandu, Nepal. This initiative, led by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), established the nation's first research center dedicated to assessing the seismic performance of building materials

Objectives 

• Assess Seismic Performance: Evaluate how various structures withstand earthquake forces.

• Replicate Real-World Events: Simulate the 1.6 g acceleration conditions of the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

• Advance Retrofitting: Develop and test safer construction and reinforcement techniques.

Key Deliverables

• Sensing Hardware: KS48C accelerometers, Multisense linear potentiometers, and ASM linear displacement transducers.

• Data Acquisition: Dewetron Trionet modules with OXYGEN software.

• Recording Systems: Hioki Memory HiLoggers for precise data capture.

Impact:

Reliable Research Data: Obtained experimental values for acceleration and displacement that match theoretical designs with high accuracy.

Infrastructure Safety: Provides engineers with the necessary data to design buildings impervious to natural quakes.

National Resilience: Establishes a foundation for constructing sound, earthquake-resistant housing throughout Nepal.

Technical Challenges

• Precision Measurement: The team had to capture minute accelerations where even a slight value change could compromise the research.

• Data Calibration: It was difficult to arrange, calibrate, and design sensors to match theoretical design values with obtained experimental data.

• Parameter Matching: Engineers needed to simultaneously match displacement, pulse time, and acceleration to draw accurate conclusions.

Conclusion:

By successfully integrating high-precision sensors with the Shock Table, the collaboration between Mahavir Shree International, UNDP, and IOE has created a vital tool for disaster mitigation. This facility ensures that future construction in the Himalayan region is informed by scientific research, ultimately saving lives and property.