The study of structural dynamics in civil engineering curriculum is commonly perceived to be a difficult exercise, more so in India, especially at the undergraduate level, and, even at the graduate level, because of the mathematical nature of the subject. This difficulty is felt, not only by the students, but also, by the teachers, who may not have had formal advanced level training in the subjects of earthquake engineering and structural dynamics. Thus, there exists a need to develop suitable teaching and learning aids to augment the classroom teaching of these subjects. One of the most effective ways to achieve this would be to develop a suite of simple experimental setups which would enable the study of basic issues related to vibration behavior, such as, damping, dynamic response magnification, resonance, structural vibration under support motions, normal modes, vibration isolation, vibration absorption, dynamics with soft and/or weak first/intermediate stories, role of structural ductility in resisting dynamic loads, liquefaction of soils under dynamic loads, seismic wave amplification through soil layer, and rocking and up throw of rigid objects under dynamic base motions. These setups would provide valuable physical insights into the basic vibration behavior of structures in general, and, structural dynamic responses under base motions, in particular. The work reported in this document contains the work done at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, as a part of a development project funded by the National Program on Earthquake Engineering Education, MHRD, Government of India.

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