Destructive vibration test of a concrete structure

Two identical full-scale 4-story reinforced concrete structures were built in 1965-1966 at the Nevada Test Site to investigate their dynamic response behavior to underground nuclear explosions. For eight years following their construction, the structures were the subject of a continuing program of vibration testing, and substantial data has been collected on the elastic response of these structures. In 1974 it was decided to conduct a high-amplitude vibration test that would cause the south structure (free of partitions) to deform beyond its elastic limit and cause major structural damage. Results of the 1974 testing program are summarized