scholarly journals Structural Identification and Numerical Models for Slender Historical Structures

Author(s):  
Dora Foti ◽  
Mariella Diaferio ◽  
Nicola Ivan Giannoccaro ◽  
Salvador Ivorra

In the present chapter the theoretical basis of different methods developed for the calibration of FEMs are discussed. In general, Model Updating techniques are based on the use of appropriate functions that iteratively update selected physical properties (characteristics of the materials, stiffness of a link, etc.). In this way the correlation between the simulated response and the target value could improve if compared to an initial value. The FE model thus obtained can be used for a detailed structural analysis with a great confidence. The technique described in the first part of the chapter is applied to the evaluation of the structural properties of the tower of the Provincial Administration Building in Bari (Italy).The final purpose is to predict the performance of the tower to different combinations of static and dynamic loads, i.e. earthquakes or other induced vibrations. Ambient vibration tests have been performed on the above mentioned tower with the aim of determining its dynamic response and developing a procedure for modeling this building (Foti et al., 2012a). The Operation Modal Analysis (OMA) has been carried out both in the frequency domain and in the time domain to extract the dominant frequencies and mode shapes of the tower.

Author(s):  
Dora Foti ◽  
Mariella Diaferio ◽  
Nicola Ivan Giannoccaro ◽  
Salvador Ivorra

In the present chapter the theoretical basis of different methods developed for the calibration of FEMs are discussed. In general, Model Updating techniques are based on the use of appropriate functions that iteratively update selected physical properties (characteristics of the materials, stiffness of a link, etc.). In this way the correlation between the simulated response and the target value could improve if compared to an initial value. The FE model thus obtained can be used for a detailed structural analysis with a great confidence. The technique described in the first part of the chapter is applied to the evaluation of the structural properties of the tower of the Provincial Administration Building in Bari (Italy).The final purpose is to predict the performance of the tower to different combinations of static and dynamic loads, i.e. earthquakes or other induced vibrations. Ambient vibration tests have been performed on the above mentioned tower with the aim of determining its dynamic response and developing a procedure for modeling this building (Foti et al., 2012a). The Operation Modal Analysis (OMA) has been carried out both in the frequency domain and in the time domain to extract the dominant frequencies and mode shapes of the tower.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damir Zenunovic ◽  
Mirsad Topalovic ◽  
Radomir Folic

The paper provides an overview of ambient vibration tests and numerical analysis performed in the framework of Project NATO SfP 983828. The aim of the research is the definition of the dynamic characteristics of bridges on the examples. The paper considers three case studies: two older existing bridges and one newly constructed bridge. A comparative analysis of natural frequencies and mode shapes, obtained by ambient vibration measurements (AVM) and mathematical models (AMs), was carried with the aim to demonstrate the usefulness of ambient vibration tests for identification of the modal parameters of the tested bridge structure. Agreement between AVM and AMs results is very good. The mode shapes are very similar. Some differences between computed and measured frequencies were obtained, which can be attributed to the real nature of the boundary conditions, the uncertainty in the material properties of structure elements, and the mathematical models assumptions.


1991 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mendoza ◽  
A. Reyes ◽  
J. E. Luco

Results of ambient vibration tests of the eight-story reinforced-concrete hospitalization tower of the Mexicali General Hospital are described. The structure suffered some damage during the November 1987 Superstition Hills earthquakes. The tests were conducted in April and August 1989 before and after major alterations of the building were made. The frequencies, modal damping ratios and mode shapes of some of the longitudinal, transverse and torsional modes were determined for the April and August 1989 conditions. It was found that the removal of the facade of the building resulted in a reduction of the longitudinal stiffness of the structure of the order of fifty percent. Measurements of the translation and rocking of the base indicate that soil-structure interaction effects play a moderate role in the transverse response of this structure and a negligible role in its longitudinal response.


Author(s):  
Yozo Fujino ◽  
Masato Abe ◽  
Hajime Shibuya ◽  
Masato Yanagihara ◽  
Masashi Sato ◽  
...  

Forced and ambient dynamic tests of the Hakucho Bridge were carried out to study the dynamic characteristics of this suspension bridge. Dense-array measurement was employed in order to capture not only natural frequencies and damping, but also the mode shapes of the bridge. The natural frequencies and mode shapes obtained from the forced and ambient vibration tests agreed well with those calculated by a three-dimensional finite element model. A new method that combines the random decrement method with the Ibrahim time domain method is proposed to systematically identify the natural frequencies, damping, and mode shapes. This method is successfully applied to ambient vibration data. It is shown that the natural frequency of the first vertical bending mode decreases noticeably as the wind speed increases. It is also shown that the shape of the first vertical bending mode changes slightly near the towers, depending on the wind velocity; this finding indicates that the change may be associated with friction in the bearings at the towers. Finally, application of the Global Positioning System to measure static displacement of the girder is explained.


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 791-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Boulanger ◽  
Charles-Philippe Lamarche ◽  
Jean Proulx ◽  
Patrick Paultre

Despite all the damages encountered during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 12-storey reinforced-concrete Digicel building behaved well, sustaining only reparable damages. Visual assessment to characterize the damages sustained and ambient vibration tests (AVT) were carried out to identify the building’s key dynamics properties (natural vibration frequencies, mode shapes, and damping ratios). ETABS was used to generate finite element (FE) models before and after the AVT, to evaluate the capabilities of common modelling assumptions to predict the dynamic behaviour of structures. Nonautomated model updating was carried out to generate a model representing the building’s actual dynamic behaviour in its damaged state. The study showed that the finite element method (FEM) is reliable for predicting the dynamic behaviour of structures, but is very sensitive to the modelling assumptions. The models could predict the vibration frequencies precisely, but an accurate representation of the mode shapes required careful model updating.


2020 ◽  
pp. 147592172095206
Author(s):  
Alice Di Primio ◽  
Noemi Fiorini ◽  
Daniele Spina ◽  
Claudio Valente ◽  
Marcello Vasta

Vibration-based structural monitoring is a fundamental tool to assess the conditions of existing structures, in their real operating state. In particular, as concerns masonry buildings, although a large part of the Italian and European historical heritage is composed of vaulted structures, comparatively few papers in the literature are targeted to the study of the dynamic behavior of vaulted systems. The present work focuses on the application of vibration-based structural monitoring to a barrel vault of the Bussi Castle, located in Pescara, Italy, which suffered some damages as a consequence of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. Ambient vibration tests were carried out in the damaged state and after repair and strengthening of the vault for evaluating its dynamic behavior in both states. In either conditions, the modal parameters of the vault were identified using operational modal analysis techniques. The comparison of the modes in the two states, carried out with Modal Assurance Criterion index, clearly indicates an enhancement of dynamic behavior of the consolidated vault. In particular, a new index named Modal Symmetry Index is introduced. The index is based on a proper ratio between mode shapes to evaluate the improvement of the structural symmetry after the restoration interventions. The results confirm the effectiveness of the devised index to evaluate the strengthening interventions and, the potential of the structural monitoring to control the behavior of damaged vaulted masonry systems.


1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 536-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Ventura ◽  
A. J. Felber ◽  
S. F. Stiemer

This paper presents the results of full-scale tests performed at the Colquitz River Bridge near Victoria, British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, during September 1992 to determine the dynamic characteristics of the structure. The five-span bridge was completed in 1954 and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway. It is 82.68 m long and 11.89 m wide, and has six continuous steel girders supporting a 175 mm thick concrete deck. This particular bridge was chosen for testing because of its typical nature of many B.C. bridges, its location in an area of high seismic risk, and its excellent site accessibility. The tests included extensive measurements of ambient vibrations induced by traffic and other sources to determine the dynamic characteristics of the bridge. The most significant vertical and lateral mode shapes and associated periods of vibration were determined from vibration measurements at more than 50 different locations of the deck, piers, and abutments. Although a large amount of data were collected, they were quickly processed and analyzed with an innovative system developed at The University of British Columbia. One of the important features of this system is that it permits the identification of the principal modes of vibration immediately after the data have been collected. In addition to the ambient vibration tests, quick release pullback tests were conducted to verify modal frequencies determined from the ambient vibration tests and to determine the damping of the fundamental modes. These tests consisted of loading the bridge at a selected location with a force of about 90 kN and then releasing this load very quickly to induce free vibrations. The information obtained from the field tests was used to refine a computer finite element model of the bridge, which, in turn, was used to gain insight into the dynamic behaviour of specific components of the bridge. Further, this information was used later by the bridge owner to evaluate the bridge's expected response during an earthquake. Key words: steel bridges, dynamic response, full-scale tests.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 754-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Castro-Triguero ◽  
Enrique Garcia-Macias ◽  
Erick Saavedra Flores ◽  
M.I. Friswell ◽  
Rafael Gallego

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to capture the actual structural behavior of the longest timber footbridge in Spain by means of a multi-scale model updating approach in conjunction with ambient vibration tests. Design/methodology/approach In a first stage, a numerical pre-test analysis of the full bridge is performed, using standard beam-type finite elements with isotropic material properties. This approach offers a first structural model in which optimal sensor placement (OSP) methodologies are applied to improve the system identification process. In particular, the effective independence (EFI) method is used to determine the optimal locations of a set of sensors. Ambient vibration tests are conducted to determine experimentally the modal characteristics of the structure. The identified modal parameters are compared with those values obtained from this preliminary model. To improve the accuracy of the numerical predictions, the material response is modeled by means of a homogenization-based multi-scale computational approach. In a second stage, the structure is modeled by means of three-dimensional solid elements with the above material definition, capturing realistically the full orthotropic mechanical properties of wood. A genetic algorithm (GA) technique is adopted to calibrate the micromechanical parameters which are either not well-known or susceptible to considerable variations when measured experimentally. Findings An overall good agreement is found between the results of the updated numerical simulations and the corresponding experimental measurements. The longitudinal and transverse Young's moduli, sliding and rolling shear moduli, density and natural frequencies are computed by the present approach. The obtained results reveal the potential predictive capabilities of the present GA/multi-scale/experimental approach to capture accurately the actual behavior of complex materials and structures. Originality/value The uniqueness and importance of this structure leads to an intensive study of its structural behavior. Ambient vibration tests are carried out under environmental excitation. Extraction of modal parameters is obtained from output-only experimental data. The EFI methodology is applied for the OSP on a large-scale structure. Information coming from several length scales, from sub-micrometer dimensions to macroscopic scales, is included in the material definition. The strong differences found between the stiffness along the longitudinal and transverse directions of wood lumbers are incorporated in the structural model. A multi-scale model updating approach is carried out by means of a GA technique to calibrate the micromechanical parameters which are either not well-known or susceptible to considerable variations when measured experimentally.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1137-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Abazarsa ◽  
Fariborz Nateghi ◽  
S. Farid Ghahari ◽  
Ertugrul Taciroglu

A significant segment of system identification literature on civil structures is devoted to response-only identification, simply because lack of measurements of input excitations for civil structures is a fairly common scenario. In recent years, several researchers have successfully adapted a second-order blind identification (SOBI) technique—a method originally developed for “blind source separation” of audio signals—to response-only identification of mechanical and civil structures. However, this development had been confined to fully instrumented classically damped systems. While several approaches have been proposed recently for extending SOBI to non-classically damped systems, they all require additional data such as velocity or analytic signals. Herein, we present a version of SOBI that requires only acceleration signals recorded during free or ambient vibration tests, and yields the system's complex mode shapes, natural frequencies, and damping ratios. Performance of the proposed technique is demonstrated through two synthetic examples: a ten-story structure possessing a passive control system, and a soil-structure system with seven degrees of freedom (seven-DOF).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document