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An on-grade and an elevated specimen were tested and exposed to regular waves, in the Directional Wave Basin (DWB) at Oregon State University, with varying water depths and wave heights to simulate typical wave/surge conditions resulting from landfall hurricanes on low-lying barrier islands such as Hurricane Sandy that impacted the US East Coast in 2012 and Hurricane Ike that impacted the US Gulf Coast in 2008. Several instruments were used in the experiment, including nine wire resistance wave gauges located offshore, eight ultrasonic wave gauges located onshore near the specimens, four acoustic-doppler velocimeters, twelve pressure sensors, four load cells, and four triaxial accelerometers located on the specimens. The data (water depth, wave height, velocity, pressure, force, acceleration) gathered can help engineers and numerical modelers better understand the wave-structure interaction and help in improving design criteria of coastal light wood frame residential structures subjected to hurricane overland surge and wave loading. 

Several in-air experimental methods were performed in the Directional Wave Basin (DWB) at Oregon State University for structural characterization (strength, stiffness, frequency, mode shape, and damping) of an on-grade and an elevated light wood-frame coastal residential structure. These include combined lateral load-displacement and free vibration (pluck) tests, ambient vibration, and forced vibration tests. Load, displacement, and acceleration data were collected using load cells, string potentiometers, and accelerometers. These data along with hydrodynamic test data can help engineers and modelers with verification and validation of fluid-structure interaction modeling of coastal residential structures subjected to hurricane overland surge and wave loading.