A 1∶50 scale high rise residential building model made of PMMA is tested on shaking table to simulate the whole dynamic response process of a reinforced concrete high rising tube structure. The seismic excitation is simulated from slight vibration to intense shock in order to test the dynamic performance and the damage response of the model structure from linear elastic stage to damage and to destruction stage. The El-Centro wave and field wave are selected as the inputting excitation. The dynamic characteristics and destruction phenomena of the proto tube structure such as frequency

damping ratio

acceleration amplitude coefficient

distribution of strain

acceleration and displacement along height of structure with the increasing seismic excitation are obtained by the elastic-gravity similarity condition. The result of this test shows that this structure is similar to a vertical bending cantilever beam component. Under the earthquake

the peripheral walls have more intensive response than the core tube wall. This structure is asymmetrical

but there is no obvious torsion response. While shaking in the direction of asymmetrical axis

its response is less intensive than shaking in the symmetrical direction. This structure is obviously dominated by higher order horizontal vibration-modes and first order vertical vibration mode. The weak floors of earthquake resistance are located at the upper-middle part of the building which coincides with the real earthquake damage phenomena.