Centrifuge Theory
Canada is facing enormous challenges dealing with aging and deterioration of structures that supply our basic services. We have used 79% of the total service life of our public infrastructure and 60% is more than 40 years old.
The drum centrifuge model testing will provide data to improve our understanding of basic mechanisms of deformation and failure, provide benchmarks useful for verification of numerical models and enable the development and optimization of design/construction methods. This type of centrifuge is distinguished by its ability to carry a payload around the entire circumference of a large rotating drum. The geotechnical models are located in a continuous drum ring channel and the centrifuge is particularly suited to modeling long or large single geotechnical structures or processes, e.g. a slope failure, pipeline or tailings dam, or can be used to simulate a long site with soil that has a common geotechnical/geological history enabling the comparison of the behavior of a range of different structures or replication of tests in the same material. Hence this is different to the existing fixed beam centrifuge facility at C-Core in Newfoundland. The addition of novel actuators that will provide a unique modelling environment, where we can simulate the effects of earthquake loading, cyclic two degrees of freedom loads and displacements, and large fluid waves on geotechnical structures.
