NEHRP Clearinghouse

Title
Experimental Error Propagation in Pseudodynamic Testing.
File
PB84119270.pdf
Author(s)
Shing, P. B.; Mahin, S. A.
Source
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC., June 1983, 187 p.
Identifying Number(s)
UCB/EERC-83/12
Abstract
The pseudodynamic method is a relatively new experimental technique which can simulate quasi-statically the seismic response of large scale structural models using a computer-controlled actuator system and a numerical integration algorithm. Because of the large number of integration steps involved in a single test, the cumulative errors can be significant even though the actual experimental feedback errors within each step are relatively small. This study looks into the possible sources and the characteristics of experimental feedback errors in pseudodynamic testing, and presents a general analytical technique to study the error-propagation behavior of step-by-step integration algorithms.
Keywords
Earthquake resistant structures; Mechanical hysteresis; Mathematical models; Computer applications; Buildings; Earthquake engineering; Dynamic response; Pseudodynamic method; Degrees of freedom; Error analysis; Earthquakes