• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.2
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• pp.249-260
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• 2023

The uncertainties involved in structural performances are of importance when the optimum number and property of seismic retrofit devices are determined. This paper proposes a seismic retrofit design framework for asymmetric soft-first-story buildings, considering uncertainties in the soil condition and seismic retrofit device. The effect of the uncertain parameters on the structural performance is used to find a robust and optimal seismic retrofit solution. The framework finds a robust and optimal seismic retrofit solution by finding the optimal locations and mechanical properties of the seismic retrofit device for different realizations of the uncertain parameters. The structural performance for each realization is computed to evaluate the effect of the uncertainty parameters on the seismic performance. The framework utilizes parallel processing to decrease the computationally intensive nonlinear dynamic analysis time. The framework returns a robust design solution that satisfies the given limit state for every realization of the uncertain parameters. The proposed framework is applied to the seismic retrofit design of a five-story asymmetric soft-first-story case study structure retrofitted with a viscoelastic damper. Robust optimal parameters for retrofitting a structure to satisfy the limit state for the different realizations of the uncertain parameter are found using the proposed framework. According to the performance evaluation results of the retrofitted structure, the developed framework is proved effective in the seismic retrofit of the asymmetric structure with inherent uncertainties.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.53-67
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• 2013

In this paper we apply Monte Carlo Filter to identifying dynamic parameters of structural systems and improve the efficiency of this algorithm. The algorithms using Monte Carlo Filter so far has not been practical to apply to structural identification for large scale structural systems because computation time increases exponentially as the degrees of freedom of the system increase. To overcome this problem, we developed a method being able to reduce number of particles which express possible structural response state vector. In MCF there are two steps which are the prediction and filtering processes. The idea is very simple. The prediction process remains intact but the filtering process is conducted at each node of structural system in the proposed method. We named this algorithm as relaxation Monte Carlo Filter (RMCF) and demonstrate its efficiency to identify large degree of freedom systems. Moreover to increase searching field and speed up convergence time of structural parameters we proposed an algorithm combining the Genetic Algorithm with RMCF and named GARMCF. Using shaking table test data of a model structure we also demonstrate the efficiency of proposed algorithm.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.499-512
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• 2017

Traditional structural dynamic analysis and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of large scale concrete civil structures rely on manufactured embedding transducers to obtain structural dynamic properties. However, the embedding of manufactured transducers is very expensive and low efficiency for signal acquisition. In dynamic structural analysis and SHM areas, piezoelectric transducers are more and more popular due to the advantages like quick response, low cost and adaptability to different sizes. In this paper, the applicable feasibility assessment of the designed "artificial" piezoelectric transducers called Concrete Piezoelectric Smart Module (CPSM) in dynamic structural analysis is performed via three major experiments. Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) based on Ibrahim Time Domain (ITD) Method is applied to experimentally extract modal parameters. Numerical modal analysis by finite element method (FEM) modeling is also performed for comparison. First ten order modal parameters are identified by EMA using CPSMs, PCBs and FEM modeling. Comparisons are made between CPSMs and PCBs, between FEM and CPSMs extracted modal parameters. Results show that Power Spectral Density by CPSMs and PCBs are similar, CPSMs acquired signal amplitudes can be used to predict concrete compressive strength. Modal parameter (natural frequencies) identified from CPSMs acquired signal and PCBs acquired signal are different in a very small range (~3%), and extracted natural frequencies from CPSMs acquired signal and FEM results are in an allowable small range (~5%) as well. Therefore, CPSMs are applicable for signal acquisition of dynamic responses and can be used in dynamic modal analysis, structural health monitoring and related areas.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.915-934
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• 2015

Within the context of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), it is often the case that structural systems are described by uncertainty, both with respect to their parameters and the characteristics of the input loads. For the purposes of system identification, efficient modeling procedures are of the essence for a fast and reliable computation of structural response while taking these uncertainties into account. In this work, a reduced order metamodeling framework is introduced for the challenging case of nonlinear structural systems subjected to earthquake excitation. The introduced metamodeling method is based on Nonlinear AutoRegressive models with eXogenous input (NARX), able to describe nonlinear dynamics, which are moreover characterized by random parameters utilized for the description of the uncertainty propagation. These random parameters, which include characteristics of the input excitation, are expanded onto a suitably defined finite-dimensional Polynomial Chaos (PC) basis and thus the resulting representation is fully described through a small number of deterministic coefficients of projection. The effectiveness of the proposed PC-NARX method is illustrated through its implementation on the metamodeling of a five-storey shear frame model paradigm for response in the region of plasticity, i.e., outside the commonly addressed linear elastic region. The added contribution of the introduced scheme is the ability of the proposed methodology to incorporate uncertainty into the simulation. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methodology for accurate prediction and simulation of the numerical model dynamics with a vast reduction of the required computational toll.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.595-614
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• 2016

By taking the Runyang Highway Bridge over the Yangtze River with 1490 m main span as example, structural response of the bridge under the horizontal and vertical seismic excitations is investigated by the response spectrum and time-history analysis of MIDAS/Civil software respectively, the seismic behavior and the influence of structural nonlinearity on the seismic response of the bridge are revealed. Considering the aspect of seismic performance, the suitability of employing the suspension bridge in super long-span bridges is investigated as compared to the cable-stayed bridge and cable-stayed-suspension hybrid bridge with the similar main span. Furthermore, the effects of structural parameters including the span arrangement, the cable sag to span ratio, the side to main span ratio, the girder height, the central buckle and the girder support system etc on the seismic performance of the bridge are investigated by the seismic response spectrum analysis, and the favorable earthquake-resistant structural system of suspension bridges is also discussed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.209-225
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• 2015

Compared to ambient vibration testing, impact testing has the merit to extract not only structural modal parameters but also structural flexibility. Therefore, structural deflections under any static load can be predicted from the identified results of the impact test data. In this article, a signal processing procedure for structural flexibility identification is first presented. Especially, practical issues in applying the proposed procedure for structural flexibility identification are investigated, which include sensitivity analyses of three pre-defined parameters required in the data pre-processing stage to investigate how they affect the accuracy of the identified structural flexibility. Finally, multiple-reference impact test data of a three-span reinforced concrete T-beam bridge are simulated by the FE analysis, and they are used as a benchmark structure to investigate the practical issues in the proposed signal processing procedure for structural flexibility identification.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.239-260
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• 2014

Non-stationary random vibration of linear structures with uncertain parameters is investigated in this paper. A time-domain explicit formulation method is first presented for dynamic response analysis of deterministic structures subjected to non-stationary random excitations. The method is then employed to predict the random responses of a structure with given values of structural parameters, which are used to fit the conditional expectations of responses with relation to the structural random parameters by the response surface technique. Based on the total expectation theorem, the known conditional expectations are averaged to yield the random responses of stochastic structures as the total expectations. A numerical example involving a frame structure is investigated to illustrate the effectiveness of the present approach by comparison with the power spectrum method and the Monte Carlo simulation method. The proposed method is also applied to non-stationary random seismic analysis of a practical arch bridge with structural uncertainties, indicating the feasibility of the present approach for analysis of complex structures.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.26-31
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• 2007

This paper addresses a method for structural optimum design of composite rotor blade. The basic model of a composite helicopter main rotor blade is designed and its parameters determining the structural/dynamic properties are studied. Through the investigation of flap/lag/torsional stiffness, the structural properties of the model are analyzed. In this study, helicopter rotor blades are analyzed by using VABS. The computer program VABS (Variational Asymptotic Beam Section Analysis) uses the variational asymptotic method to split a three-dimensional nonlinear elasticity problem into a two dimensional cross-sectional analysis and a one-dimensional nonlinear beam problem. This is accomplished by taking advantage of certain small parameters inherent to beam-like structures. In addition, the rotational stability of the blade is estimated by the frequency diagram from FE analysis(MSC.Patran/Nastran) to understand its vibrational property. From the result, design parameters to determine and optimize the properties of the model are presented.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.395-406
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• 2016

Modal parameter identification has received much attention recently for their usefulness in earthquake engineering, damage detection and structural health monitoring. The identification method based on Matrix Pencil technique is adopted in this paper to identify structural modal parameters, such as natural frequencies, damping ratios and modal shapes using impulse vibration responses. This method can also be applied to dynamic responses induced by stationary and white-noise inputs since the auto- and cross-correlation function of the two outputs has the same form as the impulse response dynamic functions. Matrix Pencil method is very robust to noise contained in the measurement data. It has a lower variance of estimates of the parameters of interest than the Polynomial Method, and is also computationally more efficient. The numerical simulation results show that this technique can identify modal parameters accurately even if the noise level is high.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.259-268
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• 2017

System identification of structures is one of the important aspects of structural health monitoring. The accuracy and efficiency of identification results is affected severely by measurement noises, especially when the structure system is large, such as bridge structures, and when online system identification is required. In this paper, the least square estimation (LSE) method is used combined with the substructure approach for identifying structural parameters of a cable-stay bridge with large degree of freedoms online. Numerical analysis is carried out by first dividing the bridge structure into smaller substructures and then estimates the parameters of each substructure online using LSE method. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach is capable of identifying structural parameters, however, the accuracy and efficiency of identification results depend highly on the noise sensitivities of loading region, loading pattern as well as element size.