Engineering summary

A selection guide for university shake tables, covering teaching objectives, payload, axes of motion, controls, safety, space, training, and procurement review.

Shake Table

Selecting the right shake table for a university laboratory is an important decision for engineering education and research. The system does more than generate motion. It determines what students can observe, what instructors can demonstrate, and what researchers can measure under controlled laboratory conditions.

However, payload or table dimensions alone should not drive the decision. Universities should consider the complete testing objective. Payload, motion direction, stroke, velocity, acceleration, frequency range, control capabilities, instrumentation, laboratory space, safety, training, and future research needs all influence the final configuration.

As a result, the best shake table is not necessarily the largest or most powerful system. Instead, it is the system that matches the laboratory’s actual teaching and research requirements.

Start With Laboratory Objectives

Before comparing equipment, define what the laboratory needs to accomplish.

A teaching laboratory usually prioritizes repeatability, straightforward operation, safety, and experiments that clearly demonstrate structural dynamics. For example, students may investigate resonance, natural frequencies, damping, base isolation, tuned mass damping, or the response of model structures to different input motions.

A research laboratory may have different priorities. Researchers may require larger specimens, higher motion performance, multiple axes, advanced waveform control, external instrumentation, or integration with data acquisition systems.

Some university laboratories need to support both purposes. In this case, procurement teams should separate essential teaching capabilities from advanced research features.

This distinction helps prevent unnecessary complexity while leaving room for future expansion.

Evaluate More Than Payload

Payload capacity is one of the first specifications buyers notice. Nevertheless, it should never be evaluated alone.

The total moving mass can include the specimen, fixtures, mounting hardware, sensors, cables, and other experimental components. Furthermore, dynamic testing introduces forces that do not exist under static conditions.

Therefore, a table that can physically support a specimen does not automatically have the required dynamic performance for every test.

When evaluating a shake table for a university laboratory, consider the relationship between:

• Payload
• Table dimensions
• Stroke
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Frequency range
• Specimen characteristics
• Fixture mass and design
• Required input motion

These parameters work together. Consequently, universities should define representative experiments before selecting a system.

Choose the Motion Configuration

Another major decision is the required number and direction of motion axes.

Uniaxial Shake Tables

A uniaxial system generates motion along a single axis. These systems can be well suited to teaching fundamental concepts in structural dynamics and earthquake engineering.

They can support experiments involving resonance, damping, structural response, and comparison between different input motions. Moreover, their relatively straightforward configuration can make them attractive for laboratories where frequent student use is expected.

Biaxial Shake Tables

Biaxial systems introduce motion in two directions. Therefore, they can support experiments in which directional structural response is important.

This capability becomes valuable when researchers need to study behavior that cannot be represented adequately by a single horizontal direction.

However, additional motion capability also increases experimental complexity. Fixture design, control procedures, specimen behavior, and data interpretation may all become more demanding.

Vertical and Multi-Axis Systems

Vertical excitation expands the range of possible experiments further. Meanwhile, advanced multi-axis and six-degree-of-freedom systems can reproduce substantially more complex motion.

These systems can be appropriate for advanced structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, component qualification, or specialized research programs.

However, universities should avoid purchasing advanced capability simply because it is available. Additional axes can require more laboratory infrastructure, training, control expertise, and maintenance.

The key question remains simple: Will the laboratory regularly use the additional capability?

Match the Table to Teaching

Teaching laboratories have different requirements from dedicated research facilities.

A system used by multiple student groups should support repeatable experiments and efficient setup. Instructors also need predictable operating procedures so they can focus on the engineering principles being demonstrated rather than spending excessive laboratory time configuring equipment.

Typical educational applications may include:

• Single-degree-of-freedom response
• Resonance demonstrations
• Structural damping experiments
• Base isolation studies
• Tuned mass damper demonstrations
• Model-building response
• Comparison of earthquake input motions
• Introductory structural dynamics experiments

Compact and portable shake tables may therefore be useful where accessibility and frequent classroom use are priorities.

QuakeLogic’s shake table portfolio includes compact and portable products as well as progressively larger laboratory systems, allowing universities to evaluate different equipment classes according to their educational goals.

Plan for Research Growth

University equipment often remains in service for many years. Therefore, procurement teams should also consider how research programs may evolve.

A laboratory that currently focuses on undergraduate demonstrations may later support graduate research. Similarly, a structural engineering department may expand into earthquake engineering, soil-structure interaction, structural control, sensor development, or advanced dynamic testing.

For this reason, future requirements should be discussed before procurement.

Questions may include:

• Will larger specimens be tested later?
• Could biaxial testing become necessary?
• Will external data acquisition systems be integrated?
• Are new structural dynamics courses planned?
• Could the laboratory support funded research projects?
• Will additional sensors or control channels be required?
• Is multi-axis testing part of the long-term research roadmap?

Planning for realistic growth can extend the useful life of the laboratory investment.

Consider Control Capabilities

The mechanical platform is only one part of a shake table system. Control capability directly affects how the equipment can be used.

For teaching applications, straightforward operation and repeatable test procedures are particularly important. Students should be able to understand the relationship between the input motion and the measured structural response.

Research applications may require more sophisticated capabilities. Depending on the system configuration, researchers may need waveform import, closed-loop control, external synchronization, signal outputs, or integration with other laboratory systems.

Therefore, controller requirements should be defined alongside mechanical specifications rather than after the table has already been selected.

Integrate Data Acquisition

A shake table experiment becomes significantly more valuable when motion can be measured accurately.

Universities may use accelerometers, displacement sensors, strain gauges, cameras, load measurement devices, or other instrumentation depending on the experiment.

The measurement architecture should therefore be considered during procurement.

For example, researchers should determine how signals will be synchronized, how test data will be stored, and how students or researchers will export information for analysis.

Data accessibility is especially important in teaching laboratories. Students often need to compare input and response signals, calculate dynamic properties, and prepare laboratory reports.

Consequently, a well-planned shake table laboratory should treat excitation and measurement as parts of the same experimental system.

Review Safety Requirements

Safety should be incorporated into the laboratory design from the beginning.

Even relatively compact systems generate dynamic motion. Specimens, fixtures, cables, and instrumentation must remain secure throughout the test.

Laboratories should therefore evaluate emergency stop procedures, physical clearance, specimen restraint, fixture approval, electrical requirements, and safe operating zones.

Operating responsibilities should also be clear.

Before commissioning the laboratory, universities should determine who can authorize tests, who can operate the equipment independently, who approves fixtures, and who is responsible for maintenance.

Clear procedures help make the equipment easier to use consistently across multiple courses and research projects.

Evaluate Laboratory Infrastructure

The shake table itself is only one part of the installation.

Available floor space, access routes, power, anchorage, surrounding equipment, vibration transmission, and specimen preparation areas can all affect the final configuration.

Large systems may require considerably more infrastructure than compact educational tables. Meanwhile, even a smaller system needs enough clearance for safe operation and specimen installation.

Universities should therefore evaluate the complete laboratory environment before ordering equipment.

This step can prevent expensive modifications during installation.

Compare System Categories

QuakeLogic offers shake tables across several equipment categories. The portfolio includes compact and portable platforms, servo-electromechanical systems, hydraulic systems, uniaxial and biaxial configurations, vertical excitation systems, high-capacity platforms, and six-degree-of-freedom solutions.

This range allows a university to begin the selection process from its application rather than forcing the research program to fit a single table architecture.

For introductory teaching, a compact system may provide the appropriate balance of accessibility and capability.

For structural engineering research, a larger electromechanical or hydraulic platform may be more suitable.

Meanwhile, advanced laboratories may require biaxial, vertical, or multi-degree-of-freedom motion.

The final selection should always be based on verified model-specific performance requirements.

Build a Procurement Checklist

Before requesting a quotation, universities should document the laboratory requirements clearly.

A practical procurement checklist should cover:

• Teaching objectives
• Current research requirements
• Expected future research
• Specimen and fixture mass
• Required payload
• Required table dimensions
• Stroke requirements
• Velocity requirements
• Acceleration requirements
• Frequency range
• Number and direction of axes
• Controller requirements
• Waveform requirements
• Data acquisition integration
• Sensor requirements
• Emergency stop and safety systems
• Laboratory space
• Electrical requirements
• Anchorage and installation
• Vibration isolation considerations
• Training
• Documentation
• Maintenance
• Technical support
• Future expansion

A detailed checklist also makes it easier to compare different systems on equivalent engineering criteria.

Ask the Right Questions

A productive discussion with a shake table supplier should begin with the experiment rather than the product model.

Instead of asking only, “What payload do we need?” consider asking:

What specimen do we want to test, what motion must we reproduce, and what measurements do we need to collect?

That question naturally leads to the important engineering parameters.

It also reduces the risk of purchasing a system that looks appropriate on a specification sheet but does not match the intended experimental program.

How QuakeLogic Can Help

QuakeLogic can support universities in evaluating shake table configurations according to laboratory objectives, structural models, teaching modules, motion requirements, instrumentation needs, control requirements, available space, and training considerations.

Rather than treating the shake table as an isolated piece of hardware, the selection process can consider the complete laboratory workflow. This includes the test platform, control environment, instrumentation, data collection, installation, and user requirements.

This system-level approach is particularly valuable for universities because teaching and research requirements often need to coexist within the same facility.

Why QuakeLogic

QuakeLogic delivers engineering solutions that bring hardware, software, instrumentation, control, and intelligent technologies together within a unified system.

From initial laboratory requirements and system configuration to integration and commissioning, the objective is to create a solution designed around precision, reliability, usability, and long-term performance.

For university laboratories, this means looking beyond a single equipment specification. The complete testing environment should support today’s courses while providing a practical foundation for tomorrow’s research.

Build the future of your laboratory with QuakeLogic. Contact QuakeLogic to discuss your teaching objectives, research requirements, and custom shake table project.

Email us at sales@quakelogic.net | Visit us at products.QuakeLogic.net

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