Experimental assessment of the seismic performance of hospital cabinets using shake table testing

• Published in: Earthquake engineering & structural dynamics Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 103 - 123
• Main Authors: Di Sarno, Luigi, Magliulo, Gennaro, D'Angela, Danilo, Cosenza, Edoardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Aseismic buildings; Cabinets; Computer simulation; Fragility; hospital contents; Laboratory tests; Limit states; Numerical simulations; overturning; Performance assessment; Performance testing; rocking; Seismic activity; seismic assessment; Seismic engineering; Seismic response; shake table testing; Shake table tests; testing protocol; Vulnerability
• ISSN: 0098-8847; 1096-9845
• DOI: 10.1002/eqe.3127

Summary An experimental investigation of hospital building equipment is presented. Dynamic properties and seismic performance of typical ambulatory freestanding cabinets are assessed by unidirectional and bidirectional shake table tests, also considering the presence of internal partitions and cabinet contents. Vulnerability analysis is performed according to the most recent and reliable assessment methods, evaluating the influence of different parameters of the sample cabinets. The performance criteria referred within this research are the limit states reached by the specimens (ie, rocking and overturning) and by their contents (ie, overturning and breaking). Fragility curves are evaluated for the components and the contents, considering both acceleration and velocity intensity measures, and also using dimensionless intensity measures developed in recent studies. The outcomes of the present study confirm the findings of previous laboratory tests and numerical simulations carried out by the same authors and provide a further insight for the reliable seismic performance assessment of hospital cabinets and their contents.