Engineers at the University of Buffalo have developed a system that is capable of simulating the effects of the strongest earthquakes. The system, called a Nonstructural Components Simulator (NCS), is scheduled to be tested today in a facility at the university. (The shake test will be webcast here at 3:00 P.M. EDT.)
In the demonstration, engineers will subject a two-story, life-size model of a hospital room fully equipped with beds and medical supplies to the precise floor temblors that would be experienced during an earthquake. The test will simulate how the structural integrity of a building would be affected and how the mechanical and electrical systems would perform.
According to a press release from the university, this is how the system works:
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