• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.1049-1066
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• 2016

An approximate analysis is presented for multi-story setback buildings subjected to ground motions. Setback buildings with mass and stiffness discontinuities are common in modern architecture and quite often they are asymmetric in plan. The proposed analysis provides basic dynamic data (frequencies and peak values of base resultant forces) and furthermore an overview of the building response during a ground excitation. The method is based on the concept of the equivalent single story system, which has been introduced by the author in earlier papers for assessing the response of uniform in height buildings. As basic quantities of the dynamic response of elastic setback buildings can be derived by analyzing simple systems, a structural layout of minimum elastic rotational response can be easily constructed. The behavior of such structural configurations, which is basically translational into the elastic phase, is also examined into the post elastic phase when the strength assignment of the various bents is based on a planar static analysis under a set of lateral forces simulating an equivalent 'seismic loading'. It is demonstrated that the almost concurrent yielding of all resisting elements preserves the translational response, attained at the end of the elastic phase, to the post elastic one.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.361-381
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• 2013

A Bayesian probabilistic method is proposed for online estimation of the process noise and measurement noise parameters for Kalman filter. Kalman filter is a well-known recursive algorithm for state estimation of dynamical systems. In this algorithm, it is required to prescribe the covariance matrices of the process noise and measurement noise. However, inappropriate choice of these covariance matrices substantially deteriorates the performance of the Kalman filter. In this paper, a probabilistic method is proposed for online estimation of the noise parameters which govern the noise covariance matrices. The proposed Bayesian method not only estimates the optimal noise parameters but also quantifies the associated estimation uncertainty in an online manner. By utilizing the estimated noise parameters, reliable state estimation can be accomplished. Moreover, the proposed method does not assume any stationarity condition of the process noise and/or measurement noise. By removing the stationarity constraint, the proposed method enhances the applicability of the state estimation algorithm for nonstationary circumstances generally encountered in practice. To illustrate the efficacy and efficiency of the proposed method, examples using a fifty-story building with different stationarity scenarios of the process noise and measurement noise are presented.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.595-617
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• 2013

Semi-active control equipments are used to effectually enhance the seismic behavior of structures. Magneto-rheological (MR) dampers are semi-active devices that can be utilized to control the response of structures during seismic loads and have received voracious attention for response suppression. They supply the adaptability of active devices and stability and reliability of passive devices. This paper presents an optimal fuzzy logic control scheme for vibration mitigation of buildings using magneto-rheological dampers subjected to near-fault ground motions. Near-fault features including a directivity pulse in the fault-normal direction and a fling step in the fault-parallel direction are considered in the requisite ground motion records. The membership functions and fuzzy rules of fuzzy controller were optimized by genetic algorithm (GA). Numerical study is performed to analyze the influences of near-fault ground motions on a building that is equipped with MR dampers. Considering the uncontrolled system response as the base line, the proposed method is scrutinized by analogy with that of a conventional maximum dissipation energy (MED) controller to accentuate the effectiveness of the fuzzy logic algorithm. Results reveal that the fuzzy logic controllers can efficiently improve the structural responses and MR dampers are quite promising for reducing seismic responses during near-fault earthquakes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.195-208
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• 2008

This paper summarizes the experimental vibration-based structural health monitoring study on a historical monument in Jordan. In this work, and within the framework of the European Commission funded project "wide-Range Non-Intrusive Devices Toward Conservation of Historical Monuments in the Mediterranean Area", a seven and a half century old minaret located in Ajloun (73 km north of the capital Amman) is studied. Because of their cultural value, touristic importance and the desire to preserve them for the future, only non-destructive tests were allowed for the experimental investigation of such heritage structures. Therefore, after dimensional measurements and determination of the current state of damage in the selected monument, ambient vibration tests are conducted to measure the accelerations at strategic locations of the system. Output-only modal identification technique is applied to extract the modal parameters such as natural frequencies and mode shapes. A Non-linear version of SAP 2000 computer program is used to develop a three-dimensional finite element model of the minaret. The developed numerical model is then updated according to the modal parameters obtained experimentally by the ambient-vibration test-results and the measured characteristics of old stone and deteriorated mortar. Moreover, a parametric identification method using the N4Sid state space model is employed to model the dynamic behavior of the minaret and to build up a robust, immune and noise tolerant model.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Installation of sensors networks for continuous in-service monitoring of structures and their efficiency conditions is a current research trend of paramount interest. On-line monitoring systems could be strategically useful for road infrastructures, which are expected to perform efficiently and be self-diagnostic, also in emergency scenarios. This work researches damage detection in composite concrete-steel structures that are typical for highway overpasses and bridges. The techniques herein proposed assume that typical damage in the deck occurs in form of delamination and cracking, and that it affects the peak power spectral density of dynamic curvature. The investigation is performed by combining results of measurements collected by long-gauge fiber optic strain sensors installed on monitored structure and a statistic approach. A finite element model has been also prepared and validated for deepening peculiar aspects of the investigation and the availability of the method. The proposed method for real time applications is able to detect a documented unusual behavior (e.g., damage or deterioration) through long-gauge fiber optic strain sensors measurements and a probabilistic study of the dynamic curvature power spectral density.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2020

Majority of the damage in engineering structures is nonlinear. Damage sensitive features (DSFs) extracted by traditional methods from linear time series models cannot effectively handle nonlinearity induced by structural damage. A new DSF is proposed based on vector space cosine similarity (VSCS), which combines K-means cluster analysis and Bayesian discrimination to detect nonlinear structural damage. A reference autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model is built based on measured acceleration data. This study first considers an existing DSF, residual standard deviation (RSD). The DSF is further advanced using the VSCS, and then the advanced VSCS is classified using K-means cluster analysis and Bayes discriminant analysis, respectively. The performance of the proposed approach is then verified using experimental data from a three-story shear building structure, and compared with the results of existing RSD. It is demonstrated that combining the linear ARMA model and the advanced VSCS, with cluster analysis and Bayes discriminant analysis, respectively, is an effective approach for detection of nonlinear damage. This approach improves the reliability and accuracy of the nonlinear damage detection using the linear model and significantly reduces the computational cost. The results indicate that the proposed approach is potential to be a promising damage detection technique.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.17-37
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• 2014

In this study, four widely accepted and used variants of Evolution Strategies (ES) are adapted and applied to the output-error state-space identification problem. The selection of ES is justified by prior strong indication of superior performance to similar problems, over alternatives like Genetic Algorithms (GA) or Evolutionary Programming (EP). The ES variants that are being tested are (i) the (1+1)-ES, (ii) the $({\mu}/{\rho}+{\lambda})-{\sigma}$-SA-ES, (iii) the $({\mu}_I,{\lambda})-{\sigma}$-SA-ES, and (iv) the (${\mu}_w,{\lambda}$)-CMA-ES. The study is based on a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) structural model of a shear building that is characterized by light damping (up to 5%). The envisaged analysis is taking place through Monte Carlo experiments under two different excitation types (stationary / non-stationary) and the applied ES are assessed in terms of (i) accurate modal parameters extraction, (ii) statistical consistency, (iii) performance under noise-corrupted data, and (iv) performance under non-stationary data. The results of this suggest that ES are indeed competitive alternatives in the non-linear state-space estimation problem and deserve further attention.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.209-221
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• 2009

A control algorithm for seismic protection of building structures based on the theory of variable structural control or sliding mode control is presented. The paper focus in the design of sliding surface. A method for determining the sliding surface by pole assignment algorithm where the poles of the system in the sliding surface are obtained on-line, based on the frequency content of the incoming earthquake signal applied to the structure, is proposed. The proposed algorithm consists of the following steps: (i) On-line FFT process is applied to the incoming part of the signal and its frequency content is recognized. (ii) A transformation of the frequency content to the complex plane is performed and the desired location of poles of the controlled structure on the sliding surface is estimated. (iii) Based on the estimated poles the sliding surface is obtained. (iv) Then, the control force which will drive the response trajectory into the estimated sliding surface and force it to stay there all the subsequent time is obtained using Lyapunov stability theory. The above steps are repeated continuously for the entire duration of the incoming earthquake. The potential applications and the effectiveness of the improved control algorithm are demonstrated by numerical examples. The simulation results indicate that the response of a structure is reduced significantly compared to the response of the uncontrolled structure, while the required control demand is achievable.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.205-217
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• 2011

This article describes the research work involving the implementation of an Active Bracing System aimed at the modification of the initial dynamics of a laboratorial building structure to a new desired dynamics. By means of an adequate control force it is possible to assign an entirely new dynamics to a system by moving its natural frequencies and damping ratios to different values with the purpose of achieving a better overall structural response to external loads. In Civil Engineering applications, the most common procedures for controlling vibrations in structures include changing natural frequencies in order to avoid resonance phenomena and increasing the damping ratios of the critical vibration modes. In this study, the actual implementation of an active system is demonstrated, which is able to perform such modifications in a wide frequency range; to this end, a plane frame physical model with 4 degrees-of-freedom is used. The Active Bracing System developed is actuated by a linear motor controlled by an algorithm based on pole assignment strategy. The efficiency of this control system is verified experimentally by analyzing the control effect obtained with the modification of the initial dynamic parameters of the plane frame and observing the subsequent structural response.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.783-791
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• 2019

Prefabricated reinforced-concrete shear walls are used extensively in building structures because they are convenient to construct and environmentally sustainable. To make large walls easier to transport, they are divided into smaller segments and then assembled at the construction site using a variety of connection methods. The present paper proposes a precast shear wall assembled using steel shear keys, wherein the shear keys are fixed on the embedded steel plates of adjacent wall segments by combined plug and fillet welding. The anchoring strength of shear keys is known to affect the mechanical properties of the wall segments. Loading tests were therefore performed to observe the behavior of precast shear wall specimens with different anchoring components for shear keys. The specimen with insufficient strength of anchoring components was found to have reduced stiffness and lateral resistance. Conversely, an extremely high anchoring strength led to a short-column effect at the base of the wall segments and low deformation ability. Finally, for practical engineering purposes, a design approach involving the safety coefficient of anchoring components for steel shear keys is suggested.