Shaking table test study on performance and functionality of a typical telecommunication room after earthquakes

Abstract

Large numbers of basic transceiver stations, where the telecommunication room is one of the main components, comprise an important part of the telecommunication system. After earthquakes, considerable economic loss from telecommunication systems is often associated with seismic damage and functional loss of the telecommunication room. However, research related to this has been limited. In this study, shaking table tests were conducted for a full-scale typical telecommunication room, including a light-steel house and the necessary communication and power supply equipment. The tests not only focused on the seismic damage to all the structures but also considered the functions of the communication and power supply of the equipment. The interactions between these facilities and their effects on communication function were also investigated. Compared with the damage to structures, the interruption of the power supply due to earthquakes is a weak link. Finally, the damage indexes, together with their threshold values of different damage states for the communication and power supply equipment, were derived from the test results. The results of this research can contribute to the literature gaps regarding seismic performance studies of telecommunication rooms, and can serve as a valuable reference for future research on its seismic fragility and economic losses evaluation.