Abstract:A ten-story frame structure is designed for shaking table model test and the influence of different input mechanisms on the seismic responses of the structure are discussed. Based on the free-field tests and soil-structure interaction tests, three waves are selected and used as shaking table model test inputs. They are records used in the former tests, the soil’s surface records obtained from the free-field tests and the foundation response of soil-structure interaction tests respectively.A comparative study is made of the results with those obtained from soil-structure interaction system and a discussion is held on the reasonableness of the different input mechanisms. The test results show that if the bedrock wave is used as input without considering the soil factor,the maximum error may occur;when free field waves are used as input, the error may reduce; if the time history record at the foundation in the soil-structure system test is used as input, the structure response will be much colser to the soil-structure interaction system, but sometimes the structural response may be underestimated.