Centrifuge tests can also be used to obtain experimental data to verify a design procedure or a computer model. The rapid development of computational power over the last tworecent decades has revolutionized engineering analysis. Many computer models have been developed to predict the behavior of geotechnical structures during earthquakes and other loads. Before a computer model can be used with confidence, it must be proven to be valid based on experimental dataevidence. The meager and unrepeatable data provided by natural earthquakes, for example, is usually insufficient for this purpose. Verification of the validity of assumptions made by a computercomputational programalgorithm is especially important in the area of geotechnical engineering due to the complexity of soil behavior. Soils exhibit highly non-linear behavior, their strength and stiffness depend on their stress history and on the water pressure in the pore fluid, all of which may evolve during the loading caused by an earthquake. The computer models which claimare to be ableintended to simulate these phenomena are very complex and require extensive verification. TheExperimental data from centrifuge tests is useful for verifying assumptions made by a computercomputational modelalgorithm. If the results show the computer model to be inaccurate, the centrifuge test data provides some insight into the physical processes which in turn stimulates the development of better computer models.
