Biaxial shaking table testing of large-scale novel wireway vibration attenuation systems

Abstract

This research examines the seismic performance of large-scale pulley wireway systems subjected to four consecutive earthquakes using biaxial shaking table tests. A comparative analysis was conducted between novel lighting systems and a conventional raceway lighting system, each 20.50 m in length. Four specimens were tested: three pulley wireway systems and one conventional raceway lighting system, with varying suspended heights, support configurations, and cable pre-tension forces. The shaking table tests used time–history acceleration data to simulate artificial earthquakes per the ICC-ES AC156 standard. The results show that the novel lighting system exhibited superior earthquake performance and stability, outperforming the conventional system. Raising the suspension height increased seismic response and energy for the novel systems. Increasing cable tension improved stability under low seismic intensity but significantly increased seismic energy and response at high intensity. The absence of main hangers, combined with increased cable tension, reduced relative displacement but introduced instability at the ends and increased earthquake energy. These findings highlight the need to optimize suspension height, cable tension, and support configurations to enhance system resilience during earthquakes. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd