Combined Dynamic Actuator–Shake Table Test with Optimized Input Energy

In this article a new testing method using a shake table and dynamic actuators at the same time is presented and optimized for performance. The original idea of the method is further developed in this article in extent and application. Here the input motion is divided between the shake table and actuators and is applied at the same time to the experimental model. It is shown that by using this method it is possible to minimize the total power required for the experiment compared with when each of the testing apparatuses are used separately. To optimize the test procedure, different techniques for dividing the ground motion between the two facilities are presented that include dividing the amplitude by a constant number, dividing the frequency content, and dividing the amplitude on a timely basis based on a minimization scheme, which is called the dynamic optimization method in this article. It is shown that the dynamic optimization method is the preferred technique requiring a minimum testing power.