• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.349-359
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• 2011

Input excitation and output response of structure are needed in conventional modal analysis methods. However, input excitation is often difficult to be obtained in the dynamic load test of bridge structures. Therefore, what attracts engineers' attention is how to get dynamic parameters from the output response. In this paper, a structural experimental modal analysis method is introduced, which can be used to conveniently obtain dynamic parameters of the structure from the free decay response. With known damping coefficients, this analysis method can be used to identify the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of MDOF structures. Based on the modal analysis theory, the mathematical relationship of damping ratio and frequency is obtained. By using this mathematical relationship to improve the previous method, an improved experimental modal analysis method is proposed in this paper. This improved method can overcome the deficiencies of the previous method, which can not identify damping ratios and requires damping coefficients in advance. Additionally, this improved method can also identify the natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios of the bridge only from the free decay response, and ensure the stability of identification process by using modern mathematical means. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of this method are demonstrated by a numerical example of a simply supported reinforced concrete beam.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.353-370
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• 2014

A new method is proposed in this study for estimating the damping ratio of a super tall building under strong wind loads with short-time measured acceleration signals. This method incorporates two main steps. Firstly, the power spectral density of wind-induced acceleration response is obtained by the wavelet transform, then the dynamic characteristics including the natural frequency and damping ratio for the first vibration mode are estimated by a nonlinear regression analysis on the power spectral density. A numerical simulation illustrated that the damping ratios identified by the wavelet spectrum are superior in precision and stability to those values obtained from Welch's periodogram spectrum. To verify the efficiency of the proposed method, wind-induced acceleration responses of the Guangzhou West Tower (GZWT) measured in the field during Typhoon Usagi, which affected this building on September 22, 2013, were used. The damping ratios identified varied from 0.38% to 0.61% in direction 1 and from 0.22% to 0.59% in direction 2. This information is expected to be of considerable interest and practical use for engineers and researchers involved in the wind-resistant design of super-tall buildings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.103-118
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• 2017

In vertical seismic isolation (VSI), a building is partitioned intentionally by vertical layers into two dynamically different substructures for seismic response reduction. Initially, a 1-story frame was partitioned into two substructures, interconnected by viscous and visco-elastic links, and seismic responses of the original and the vertically isolated structures (VIS) were obtained, considering a large number of stiffness and mass ratios of substructures with respect to the original structure. Color contour graphs were defined for presentation and investigation of large amounts of output results. Dynamic characteristics of the isolated structures were studied by considering the non-classical damping of the system, and then the effects of viscous and visco-elastic link parameters on the modal damping ratios were discussed. On this basis, three states of mass isolation, interactional state, and control mass were differentiated. Response history analyses were performed by Runge-Kutta numerical method. In these analyses, interaction of isolation ratios and link parameters, on response control of VIS was studied and the appropriate ranges for link parameters as well as the optimal ranges for isolation ratios were suggested. Results show that by using the VSI technique, seismic response reduction up to 50% in flexible substructure and even more in stiff substructure is achievable.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.249-257
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• 1998

Vibration-resistant rubbers, whose elastic and shear behaviors are similar to viscoelastic materials, are used to make bracing dampers to reduce the building vibration. Experimental study is carried out to find the vibration characteristics of the dampers installed in the building model. The natural frequencies and modal damping ratios are obtained from the free vibration test and Fourier analysis. Shaking table test is performed to find the response behavior of the building model under earthquake loading. The present experimental study shows that the bracing dampers have the behavior of viscoelastic dampers, which increase the modal damping ratios and viscoelastic characteristics.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.65-88
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• 2011

A new method for the seismic design of plane steel moment resisting frames is developed. This method determines the design base shear of a plane steel frame through modal synthesis and spectrum analysis utilizing different values of the strength reduction (behavior) factor for the modes considered instead of a single common value of that factor for all these modes as it is the case with current seismic codes. The values of these modal strength reduction factors are derived with the aid of a) design equations that provide equivalent linear modal damping ratios for steel moment resisting frames as functions of period, allowable interstorey drift and damage levels and b) the damping reduction factor that modifies elastic acceleration spectra for high levels of damping. Thus, a new performance-based design method is established. The direct dependence of the modal strength reduction factor on desired interstorey drift and damage levels permits the control of deformations without their determination and secures that deformations will not exceed these levels. By means of certain seismic design examples presented herein, it is demonstrated that the use of different values for the strength reduction factor per mode instead of a single common value for all modes, leads to more accurate results in a more rational way than the code-based ones.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.1241-1260
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• 2015

Any rational approach to define the configuration and size of viscous fluid dampers in a structure should be based on the dynamic properties of the system with the dampers. In this paper we propose an alternative representation of the complex eigenvalues of multi degree of freedom systems with dampers to calculate new equivalent natural frequencies. Analytical expressions for the dynamic properties of a two-story building model with a linear viscous damper in the first floor (i.e. with a non-proportional damping matrix) are derived. The formulas permit to obtain the equivalent damping ratios and equivalent natural frequencies for all the modes as a function of the mass, stiffness and damping coefficient for underdamped and overdamped systems. It is shown that the commonly used formula to define the equivalent natural frequency is not applicable for this type of system and for others where the damping matrix is not proportional to the mass matrix, stiffness matrix or both. Moreover, the new expressions for the equivalent natural frequencies expose a novel phenomenon; the use of viscous fluid dampers can modify the vibration frequencies of the structure. The significance of the new equivalent natural frequencies is expounded by means of a simulated free vibration test. The proposed approach may offer a new perspective to study the effect of viscous dampers on the dynamic properties of a structure.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 1990

Conventional methods to estimate natural frequencies and damping ratios of structures from measured response time series obtained during impact tests are reviewed. Maximum Entropy Method and Least Square Prony Method are introduced to alleviate the inherent limitation of the conventional methods. The performance of the methods are explored through computer simulation. As an example of application, they are applied to the time series obtained from an anchor drop-and-snup test of a container ship and the result is compared to that of conventional FFT method. As a result of the computer simulation, it is found that Maximum Entropy Method is very efficient to estimate natural frequencies of structures when two neighboring natural frequencies are close enough and short data records are only available, but it is not a reliable estimator for damping ratios. And it is also found that Least Square Prony Method is efficient to estimate the natural frequencies and damping ratios of highly damped structural system, but the estimation efficiency of damping ratios is significantly deteriorated in the presence of significant additive noise.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2A
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• pp.89-96
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• 2011

The damping ratio as an index of bridge vibration could be considered as one of the important dynamic characteristics of a suspension bridge. But estimating of damping ratio on an existing suspension bridge under ambient vibration condition could be a laborious task. Moreover, it is not simple to directly distinguish aerodynamic damping and friction damping from apparent damping. According to previous studies, the aerodynamic damping properties can be linearly affected by wind speed level, and apparent damping ratio can be affected by amplitude of vibration. Therefore, in this article, the relationships among damping ratio, wind speed level and amplitude of acceleration were studied for separating extract aerodynamic damping and friction damping from apparent damping. Damping ratios on Sorok Bridge, a suspension bridge which is a located in Go-Heung, Korea, were estimated by two different methods as using Hilbert transform and extended Kalman filter which were well known as effective estimation methods for non-linear state. It was possible to distinguish aerodynamic damping and friction damping from apparent damping using averaged normal components of wind speed, RMQ values of acceleration, and estimated damping ratios from wind-induced vibration responses and vehicle loading responses.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.677-690
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• 2016

In this paper, the effect of damping ratio on nonlinear dynamic analysis response and dynamic increase factor (DIF) in nonlinear static analysis of structures against column removal are investigated and a modified empirical DIF is presented. To this end, series of low and mid-rise moment frame structures with different span lengths and number of storeys are designed and the effect of damping ratio in DIF is investigated, performing several nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. For each damping ratio, a nonlinear dynamic analysis and a step by step nonlinear static analysis are carried out and the modified empirical DIF formulas are derived. The results of the analysis reveal that DIF is decreased with increasing damping ratio. Finally, an empirical formula is recommended that relates to damping ratio. Therefore, the new modified DIF can be used with nonlinear static analysis instead of nonlinear dynamic analysis to assess the progressive collapse potential of moment frame buildings with different damping ratios.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2024

This study examines damping modification factors (DMFs) of elastic input energy spectra corresponding to a set of 116 earthquake ground motions. Mean input energy per mass spectra and mean DMFs are presented for both considered ground motion components. Damping ratios of 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% are used and the 5% damping ratio is considered the benchmark for DMF computations. The geometric mean DMFs of the two horizontal components of each ground motion are computed and coefficients of variation are presented graphically. The results show that the input energy spectra-based DMFs exhibit a dependence on the damping ratio at very short periods and they tend to be nearly constant for larger periods. In addition, mean DMF variation is obtained graphically for also the damping ratio, and mathematical functions are fitted as a result of statistical analyses. A strong correlation between the computed DMFs and the ones from predicted equations is observed.