NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Determining Models of Structures from Earthquake Records.
- File
- PB288806.pdf
- Author(s)
- Beck, J. L.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC., June 1978, 310 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- EERL-78-01
- Abstract
- The problem of determining linear models of structures from seismic response data is studied using ideas from the theory of system identification. The investigation employs a general formulation called the output-error approach, in which optimal estimates of the model parameters are obtained by minimizing a selected measure-of-fit between the responses of the structure and the model. Two output-error techniques are investigated. Tests of the first, an optimal filter method, show that its advantages are offset by weaknesses which make it unsatisfactory for application to seismic response. A new technique, called the modal minimization method, is developed to overcome these difficulties. The modal minimization method is applied to two multi-story buildings that experienced the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. New information is obtained concerning the properties of the higher modes of the taller buildings and more reliable estimates of the properties of the fundamental modes of both structures are found. The time-varying character of the equivalent linear parameters is also studied for both buildings.
- Keywords
- Earthquake resistant structures; Seismic waves; San Fernando Earthquake; Earth movements; Data acquisition; Dynamic response; Ground motion; Earthquake engineering; Systems identification; Buildings; Theses; Earthquakes