UCSD Shake Table

Shake and Bake: Scientists studying earthquakes and burning buildings UC San Diego's shake table was used by Cal Poly SLO researchers Thursday to start a fire to examine how it would act burning specific materials during a quake, reports NBC 7's Joe Little.

More fire testing coming soon at the shake table for the large scale, 10-story cold-formed steel building!

Thanks ‪@nbcsandiego.com‬ for the coverage!
www.nbcsandiego.com/video/videos...

YouTube video by USA TODAY Researchers at UCSD test a 10-story building on earthquake simulator

Kudos to Tara Hutchinson, Benjamin Schafer & team for pushing boundaries with the #CFS10 project at the @ucsandiego.bsky.social shake table!
This 10-story CFS tower—taller than code allows—is shaking up what’s possible for safer, greener and more resilient buildings.
Watch ⤵️
youtu.be/hxHICcpQjxY?...

YouTube video by UC San Diego Inside the Largest Outdoor Shake Table in the World

Ever wondered what it’s like to step inside an earthquake? Co-PI Joel Conte takes us underground at the world’s largest outdoor shake table @ucsandiego.bsky.social
— now upgraded with 6 DOF to simulate the strongest quakes in history and funded by the NSF!
Watch ⤵️
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3abu...

🎉 Congrats to Gabriel Acero, @ucsandiego.bsky.social
structural engineering MS grad, for being named Engineer of the Year 2025 by @SEAOSC!

With 25+ yrs in the field, he's led major projects like
our world-famous shake table & co-authored key research. A true leader in the industry! 👏

Shake table experiments are crucial in earthquake engineering because they help engineers understand how structures behave during earthquakes, which allows us to identify potential weaknesses and develop more effective seismic design and retrofitting strategies. This leads to safer buildings.

This shake table test at the @ucsdshaketable.bsky.social
is re-creating the shaking experienced at a specific location in Gilroy, California during the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake. 🧪

Next week, a full-scale 10-story cold-formed steel building will undergo a first-of-its-kind test — shaking + fire.
Phase 1: Simulated mega earthquakes
Phase 2: Live fire testing after quake damage
led by Richard Emberley, @calpolyslo.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social
Live cams: lnkd.in/gRdpHRZ9

YouTube video by NHERI DesignSafe Intro to cold-formed steel, CFS | Ben Schafer Part 1

Did you know? Cold-formed steel is strong, lightweight, & sustainable! @jhu.edu Prof. Ben Schafer leads research showing CFS handles extreme stress like #earthquakes & high winds. Smart, durable, eco-friendly building!

Watch interview ⬇️
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDTn...

🚧 We had a great time at the NHERI@UC San Diego Industry-Academia Workshop & shake table tour!

Researchers & industry leaders came together to advance earthquake engineering, explore grand challenges & highlight the power of collaboration.

Thanks to all who joined! @ucsandiego.bsky.social

YouTube video by Torcsill Foundations LLC UCSD Helical Pile Seismic Test 2016

When a 6.3 quake rocked Christchurch in 2011, devastation followed — buildings crumbled, 185 lives lost. But some structures stood strong, thanks to helical piles.

Fast forward to 2016: Amy Cerato @ou.edu put them to the test on @ucsandiego.bsky.social shake table.

Watch⤵️
youtu.be/fjUaS_INRyI?...

Proud to highlight @ucsandiego.bsky.social SE Ph.D. alumni Claudio Sepúlveda and Ricardo Bustamante, along with @jacobsschool.bsky.social Professor Gilberto Mosqueda, for their groundbreaking study on seismic protection for the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile!

Read ⤵️
se.ucsd.edu/awards/uc-sa...

Legendary structural engineer Ashraf Habibullah dropped by our shake table — and the Earth decided to join the party with a real 5.2 magnitude quake! 😱 Now that’s what we call ground-breaking research!

Read⤵️
se.ucsd.edu/awards/legen...

UC San Diego's Shake Table: Preparing California for the Big One Engineers are running tests to improve earthquake resilience, and their work is creating safer buildings and bridges across the state.

🚨 Earthquakes rocked San Diego County this week!
Good news: Research at @ucsandiego.bsky.social's world-famous shake table is helping make buildings, bridges & other structures safer when the ground shakes.

Watch on @cbs8.com.web.brid.gy ⤵️
www.cbs8.com/article/weat...

YouTube video by Torcsill Foundations LLC UCSD Helical Pile Seismic Test 2016

#ThrowbackThursday to when Amy Cerato of @ou.edu and her team revolutionized helical pile research! The @ucsandiego.bsky.social shake table test provided key seismic data for engineers in #seismic zones.

Watch full video⤵️
youtu.be/fjUaS_INRyI?...

Join us May 16 for a workshop on using @ucsandiego.bsky.social 's shake table to advance #earthquakeengineering! Collaborate, explore grand challenges, and tackle seismic design issues. Keynotes from experts.

More info and registration⤵️
www.designsafe-ci.org/learning-cen...

Had a blast during a shake table tour for
@ucsandiego.bsky.social Revelle Freshman Honors Seminar! Co-PI Lelli Van Den Einde led a lecture on the shake table’s role in disaster engineering, followed by a tour with 19 engaged students.

More info on tours⬇️
esec.ucsd.edu/education-ou...