• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.445-466
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• 2008

This paper presents a novel structural damage detection method with a new damage index based on the statistical moments of dynamic responses of a structure under a random excitation. After a brief introduction to statistical moment theory, the principle of the new method is put forward in terms of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system. The sensitivity of statistical moment to structural damage is discussed for various types of structural responses and different orders of statistical moment. The formulae for statistical moment-based damage detection are derived. The effect of measurement noise on damage detection is ascertained. The new damage index and the proposed statistical moment-based damage detection method are then extended to multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems with resort to the leastsquares method. As numerical studies, the proposed method is applied to both single and multi-story shear buildings. Numerical results show that the fourth-order statistical moment of story drifts is a more sensitive indicator to structural stiffness reduction than the natural frequencies, the second order moment of story drift, and the fourth-order moments of velocity and acceleration responses of the shear building. The fourth-order statistical moment of story drifts can be used to accurately identify both location and severity of structural stiffness reduction of the shear building. Furthermore, a significant advantage of the proposed damage detection method lies in that it is insensitive to measurement noise.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 1998

A three-degree-of-freedom base hinged assembly (BHA) for aeroelastic model tests of tall building was developed. The integral parts of a BHA, which consists of two perpendicular plane frames and a flexural pivot, enable this modeling technique to independently simulate building translational and torsional degree-of-freedom. A program of wind tunnel aeroelastic model tests of the CAARC standard tall building was conducted with emphasis on the effect of (a) torsional motion, (b) cross-wind/torsional frequency ratio and (c) the presence of an eccentricity between center of mass and center of stiffness on wind-induced response characteristics. The experimental results highlight the significant effect of coupled translational-torsional motion and the effect of eccentricity between center of mass and center of stiffness on the resultant rms acceleration responses in both along-wind and cross-wind directions especially at operating reduced wind velocities close to a critical value of 10. In addition, it was sound that the vortex shedding process remains the main excitation mechanism in cross-wind direction even in case of tall buildings with coupled translational-torsional motion and with eccentricity.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.121-133
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• 1995

It is well known that two-dimensional simplified third-order theories satisfy the layer interface continuity of transverse shear strains, thus these theories violate the continuity of transverse shear stresses when two consecutive layers differ either in fibre orientation or material. The third-order theories considered herein involve four/or five dependent unknowns in the displacement field and satisfy the condition of vanishing of transverse shear stresses at the bounding planes of the plate. The objective of this investigation is to examine (i) the flexural response prediction accuracy of these third-order theories compared to exact elasticity solution (ii) the effect of layer interface continuity conditions on the flexural response. To investigate the effect of layer interface continuity conditions, three-dimensional elasticity solutions are developed by enforcing the continuity of different combinations of transverse stresses and/or strains at the layer interfaces. Three dimensional twenty node solid finite element (having three translational displacements as degrees of freedom) without the imposition of any of the conditions on the transverse stresses and strains is also employed for the flexural analysis of the laminated plates for the purposes of comparison with the above theories. These shear deformation theories and elasticity approaches in terms of accuracy, adequacy and applicability are examined through extensive numerical examples.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.527-542
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• 2005

The main objective of this study is to examine the accuracy of the complete quadratic combination (CQC) rule with the modal responses defined by the ordinates of the uniform hazard spectra (UHS) to evaluate the peak responses of the multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to nonstationary seismic excitations. For the probabilistic analysis of the peak responses, it is considered that the seismic excitations can be modeled using evolutionary power spectra density functions with uncertain model parameters. More specifically, a seismological model and the Kanai-Tajimi model with the boxcar or the exponential modulating functions were used to define the evolutionary power spectral density functions in this study. A set of UHS was obtained based on the probabilistic analysis of transient responses of single-degree-of-freedom systems subjected to the seismic excitations. The results of probabilistic analysis of the peak responses of MDOF systems were obtained, and compared with the peak responses calculated by using the CQC rule with the modal responses given by the UHS. The comparison seemed to indicate that the use of the CQC rule with the commonly employed correlation coefficient and the peak modal responses from the UHS could lead to significant under- or over-estimation when contributions from each of the modes are similarly significant.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2018

Methods based on nonlinear static analysis as simple tools could be used for the seismic analysis and assessment of structures. In the present study, capability of the N2 method as a well-known nonlinear analysis procedure examines for the estimation of the damage index of multi-storey reinforced concrete frames. In the implemented framework, equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) models are utilized for the global damage estimation of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems. This method does not require high computational analysis and subsequently decreases the required time of seismic design and assessment process. To develop the methodology, RC frames with period range from 0.4 to 2.0 s under 40 records are studied. The effectiveness of proposed technique is evaluated through numerical study under near- and far-field earthquake ground motions. Finally, the results of developed models are compared with two other simplified schemes along with nonlinear time history analysis results of multi-storey frames. To improve the accuracy of damage estimation, a modified relation is presented based on the N2 method results for near- and far-field earthquakes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.6 no.8
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• pp.921-938
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• 2010

Most of studies on control of beams containing piezoelectric sensors and actuators have been based on linear quadratic regulator (LQR) with state feedback or output feedback law. The aim of this study is to develop velocity-acceleration feedback law in the optimal control of smart piezoelectric beams. A new controller which is an optimal control system with velocity-acceleration feedback is presented. In finite element modeling of the beam, the variation of mechanical displacement through the thickness is modeled by a sinus model that ensures inter-laminar continuity of shear stress at the layer interfaces as well as the boundary conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the beam. In addition to mechanical degrees of freedom, one electric potential degree of freedom is considered for each piezoelectric element layer. The efficiency of this control strategy is evaluated by applying to an aluminum cantilever beam under different loading conditions. Numerical simulations show that this new control scheme is almost as efficient as an optimal control system with state feedback. However, inclusion of the acceleration in the control algorithm increases practical value of a system due to easier and more accurate measurement of accelerations.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.897-911
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• 2015

This study presents a novel approach based on advancements in Evolutionary Computation for data-driven modeling of complex multi-dimensional memory-dependent systems. The investigated example is a benchmark coupled three-dimensional system that incorporates 6 Bouc-Wen elements, and is subjected to external excitations at three points. The proposed technique of this research adapts Genetic Programming for discovering the optimum structure of the differential equation of an auxiliary variable associated with every specific degree-of-freedom of this system that integrates the imposed effect of vibrations at all other degrees-of-freedom. After the termination of the first phase of the optimization process, a system of differential equations is formed that represent the multi-dimensional hysteretic system. Then, the parameters of this system of differential equations are optimized in the second phase using Genetic Algorithms to yield accurate response estimates globally, because the separately obtained differential equations are coupled essentially, and their true performance can be assessed only when the entire system of coupled differential equations is solved. The resultant model after the second phase of optimization is a low-order low-complexity surrogate computational model that represents the investigated three-dimensional memory-dependent system. Hence, this research presents a promising data-driven modeling technique for obtaining optimized representative models for multi-dimensional hysteretic systems that yield reasonably accurate results, and can be generalized to many problems, in various fields, ranging from engineering to economics as well as biology.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2017

Passive dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) are often used to suppress the excessive vibration of a large structure due to their simple construction and low maintenance cost compared to other vibration control techniques. A new type of passive DVA consists of two pendulums connected with spring and dashpot element is investigated. This research evaluated the performance of the DVA in reducing the vibration response of a two degree of freedom shear structure. A model for the two DOF vibration system with the absorber is developed. The nominal absorber parameters are calculated using a Genetic Algorithm(GA) procedure. A parametric study is performed to evaluate the effect of each absorber parameter on performance. The simulation results show that the optimum condition for the absorber frequencies and damping ratios is mainly affected by pendulum length, mass, and the damping coefficient of the pendulum's hinge joint. An experimental model validates the theoretical results. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed technique is able be used as an effective alternative solution for reducing the vibration response of a multi degree of freedom vibration system.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.263-273
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• 2020

The use of energy concepts in seismic analysis and design of structures requires the understanding of the input energy response of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to strong ground motions. For design purposes and non-time consuming analysis, however, it would be beneficial to associate the input energy response of MDOF systems with those of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems. In this paper, the theoretical formulation of energy input to MDOF systems is developed on the basis that only a particular portion of the total mass distributed among floor levels is effective in the nth-mode response. The input energy response histories of several reinforced concrete frames subjected to a set of eleven horizontal acceleration histories selected from actual recorded events and scaled in time domain are obtained. The contribution of the fundamental mode to the total input energy response of MDOF frames is demonstrated both graphically and numerically. The input energy of the fundamental mode is found to be a good indicator of the total energy input to two-dimensional regular MDOF structures. The numerical results computed by the proposed formulation are verified with relative input energy time histories directly computed from linear time history analysis. Finally, the elastic input energies are compared with those computed from time history analysis of nonlinear MDOF systems.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.531-543
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• 2023

Base isolation is one of the most widely implemented and well-known technique to reduce structural vibration and damages during an earthquake. However, while the base-isolated structure reduces storey drift significantly, it also increases the base drifts causing many practical problems. This study proposes the use of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) wires for the reduction in base drift while controlling the overall structure vibrations. A multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structure along with base isolators and Shape-Memory-Alloys (SMA) wires in diagonal is tested experimentally and analytically. The isolation bearing considered in this study consists of laminates of steel and silicon rubber. The performance of the proposed structure is evaluated and studied under different loadings including harmonic loading and seismic excitation. To assess the seismic performance of the proposed structure, shake table tests are conducted on base-isolated MDOF frame structure incorporating SMA wires, which is subjected to incremental harmonic and historic seismic loadings. Root mean square acceleration, displacement and drift are analyzed and discussed in detail for each story. To better understand the structure response, the percentage reduction of displacement is also determined for each story. The result shows that the reduction in the response of the proposed structure is much better than conventional base-isolated structure.