Dynamic characteristics of non-classically damped structures

The equations of motion of a structure in undamped modal coordinates may have non-zero off-diagonal terms in the damping matrix. Although these terms are commonly neglected, studies have shown that they may have a significant influence on the response to dynamic loads. In this paper, two independent criteria are developed to determine when these damping terms will affect the structure's modal properties and response. It is found that even small off-diagonal damping values can be significant if the structure has closely spaced natural frequencies. To quantify and understand the influence of these damping terms, closed-form analytical expressions are derived for the modal properties and harmonic and stochastic response of structures with closely spaced natural frequencies. One conclusion is that off-diagonal damping terms will decrease a modal damping ratio for each pair of closely spaced modes. This is significant, since a response analysis performed by neglecting these off-diagonal terms will underestimate the true response.     

Errors in response calculations for non-classically damped structures

The classical normal mode method of determining response is extremely useful for practical calculations, but depends upon the damping matrix being orthogonal with respect to the modal vectors. Approximations that allow the method to be used when this condition is not satisfied have been suggested; the simplest approach is to neglect off-diagonal terms in the triple matrix product formed from the damping and modal matrices. In this paper the errors in response caused by this approximation are determined for several simple structures for a wide range of damping parameters and different types of excitation. Based on these results a criterion, relating modal damping and natural frequencies, is formulated; if this is satisfied, the errors in response caused by this diagonalization procedure are within acceptable limits.     

Iterative methods for non-classically damped dynamic systems

Non-classically damped structural systems do not easily lend themselves to the modal superposition method because these systems yield coupled second-order differential equations. In this paper, a variety of new computationally efficient iterative methods for determining the response of such systems are developed. The iterative approaches presented here differ from those presented earlier in that they are computationally superior and/or are applicable to the determination of the responses of broader classes of structural systems. Numerical examples, which are designed to evaluate the efficacy of these schemes, show the vastly improved rates of convergence when compared to earlier iterative schemes.     

A method for stochastic seismic response analysis of non-classically damped structures

A method to calculate the stationary random response of a non-classically damped structure is proposed that features clearly-defined physical meaning and simple expression. The method is developed in the frequency domain, The expression of the proposed method consists of three terms, i.e., modal velocity response, modal displacement response, and coupled (between modal velocity and modal displacement response), Numerical results from the parametric study and three example structures reveal that the modal velocity response term and the coupled term are important to structural response estimates only for a dynamic system with a tuned mass damper. In typical cases, the modal displacement term can provide response estimates with satisfactory accuracy by itself, so that the modal velocity term and coupled term may be ignored without loss of accuracy, This is used to simplify the response computation of non-classically damped structures. For the white noise excitation, three modal correlation coefficients in closed form are derived. To consider the modal velocity response term and the coupled term, a simplified approximation based on white noise excitation is developed for the case when the modal velocity response is important to the structural responses. Numerical results show that the approximate expression based on white noise excitation can provide structural responses with satisfactory accuracy~     

Response of non-classically damped structures in the modal subspace

The evaluation of the dynamic response of non-classically damped linear structures requires the solution of an eigenproblem with complex eigenvalues and modal shapes. Since in practice only a small number of complex modes are needed, the complex eigenvalue problem is solved in the modal subspace in which the generalized damping matrix is not uncoupled by classical real modes. It follows that the evaluation of the structural response requires in both cases the determination of complex modes by numerical techniques, which are not as robust as techniques currently used for the solution of the real eigenvalue problem, and the use of complex algebra. In the present paper an unconditionally stable step-by-step procedure is presented for the response of non-classically damped structures in the modal subspace without using complex quantities. The method is based on the evaluation of the fundamental operator in approximated form of the numerical procedure. In addition, the method can be easily modified to incorporate the modal superposition pseudo-static correction terms.     

Modal time history analysis of non-classically damped structures for seismic motions

The step-by-step modal time history integration methods are developed for dynamic analysis of non-classically damped linear structures subjected to earthquake-induced ground motions. Both the mode displacement and mode acceleration-based algorithms are presented for the calculation of member and acceleration responses. The complex-valued eigenvectors are used to effect the modal decoupling of the equations of motion. However, the recursive step-by-step algorithms are still in terms of real quantities. The numerical results for the acceleration response and floor response spectra, obtained with these approaches, are presented. The mode acceleration approach is observed to be decidedly better than the mode displacement approach in as much as it alleviates the so-called missing mass effect, caused by the truncation of modes, very effectively. The utilization of the mode acceleration-based algorithms is, thus, recommended in all dynamic analyses for earthquake-induced ground motions.     

Mode-superposition methods in dynamic analysis of classically and non-classically damped linear systems

Mode-superposition analysis is an efficient tool for the evaluation of the response of linear systems subjected to dynamic agencies. Two well-known mode-superposition methods are available in the literature, the mode-displacement method and the mode-acceleration method. Within this frame a method is proposed called a dynamic correction method which evaluates the structural response as the sum of a pseudostatic response, which is the particular solution of the differential equations, and a dynamic correction evaluated using a reduced number of natural modes. The greater accuracy of the proposed method with respect to the other methods is evidenced through extensive numerical tests, for classically and non-classically damped systems.     

On a modal damping identification model for non-classically damped linear building structures subjected to earthquakes

A simple modal damping identification model developed by the present authors for classically damped linear building frames is extended here to the non-classically damped case. The modal damping values are obtained with the aid of the frequency domain modulus of the roof-to-basement transfer function and the resonant frequencies of the structure (peaks of the transfer function) as well as the modal participation factors and mode shapes of the undamped structure. The assumption is made that the modulus of the transfer function of the non-classically damped structure matches the one of the classically damped structure in a discrete manner, i.e., at the resonant frequencies of that function modulus. This proposed approximate identification method is applied to a number of plane building frames with and without pronounced non-classical damping under different with respect to their frequency content earthquakes and its limitations and range of applicability are assessed with respect to the accuracy of both the identified damping ratios and that of the seismic structural response obtained by classical mode superposition and use of those identified modal damping ratios.     

Cross-correlation coefficients and modal combination rules for non-classically damped systems

In stochastic analysis the knowledge of cross-correlation coefficients is required in order to combine the response of the modal Single-Degree-Of-Freedom (SDOF) oscillators for obtaining the nodal response. Moreover these coefficients play a fundamental role in the seismic analysis of structures when the response spectrum method is used. In fact they are used in some modal combination rules in order to obtain the maximum response quantities starting from the modal maxima. Herein a method for the evaluation of the cross-correlation coefficients for non-classically damped systems is presented. It is defined in the time domain instead of the frequency domain as usually encountered in the literature. Although non-classically damped structures possess complex eigenproperties, the great advantage in using this approach lies in the fact that the evaluation of these coefficients does not require complex quantities. Moreover a further particularization of the presented method allows a simple application of the spectrum analysis requiring only one response spectrum for an assigned damping ratio. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A subspace modal superposition method for non-classically damped systems

For structures with non-proportional damping, complex eigenvectors or mode shapes must be used in order to decoe the equations of motion. The resulting equations can then be solved in a systematic way. The necessity of solvie complex eigenvalue problem of a large system remains an obstacle for the practical application of the method. This stres utilizes the fact that in practice only a small number of the complex modes are needed. Therefore, these complex modes be approximated by a linear combination of a small number of the undamped modes, which can be obtained by established methods with less cost. An additional eigenvalue problem is then solved in a subspace with a much sm dimension to provide the best combination coefficient for each complex mode. The method of solution for the decoue equations is then carried over, using the approximate complex modes expressed in undamped mode shapes, to resue simple formulas for the time- and frequency-domain solution. Thus, an efficient modal superposition method is develoe for non-proportionally damped systems. The accuracy of this approximate method is studied through an example. Comparing the frequency response result using the approximate method with that using the exact complex modes, found that the error is negligible.     

Steady-state and transient responses of non-classically damped linear systems

A recently proposed procedure for interrelating the steady-state and transient responses of multi-degree-of-freedom, classically damped linear systems is extended to non-classically damped systems. The extension is formulated for baseexcited systems, and it is illustrated by simple examples.     

Modal analysis of non-classically damped linear systems

A critical, textbook-like review of the generalized modal superposition method of evaluating the dynamic response of nonclassically damped linear systems is presented, which it is hoped will increase the attractiveness of the method to structural engineers and its application in structural engineering practice and research. Special attention is given to identifying the physical significance of the various elements of the solution and to simplifying its implementation. It is shown that the displacements of a non-classically damped n-degree-of-freedom system may be expressed as a linear combination of the displacements and velocities of n similarly excited single-degree-of-freedom systems, and that once the natural frequencies of vibration of the system have been determined, its response to an arbitrary excitation may be computed with only minimal computational effort beyond that required for the analysis of a classically damped system of the same size. The concepts involved are illustrated by a series of examples, and comprehensive numerical data for a three-degree-of-freedom system are presented which elucidate the effects of several important parameters. The exact solutions for the system are also compared over a wide range of conditions with those computed approximately considering the system to be classically damped, and the interrelationship of two sets of solutions is discussed.     

Modal decomposition method for stationary response of non-classically damped systems

The stationary response of multi-degree-of-freedom non-classically damped linear systems subjected to stationary input excitation is studied. A modal decomposition procedure based on the complex eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the system is used to derive general expressions for the spectral moments of response. These expressions are in terms of cross-modal spectral moments and explicitly account for the correlation between modal responses; thus, they are applicable to structures characterized with significant non-classical damping as well as structures with closely spaced frequencies. Closed form solutions are presented for the important case of response to white-noise input. Various quantities of response of general engineering interest can be obtained in terms of these spectral moments. These include mean zero-crossing rate and mean, variance and distribution of peak response over a specified duration. Examples point out several instances where non-classical damping effects become significant and illustrate the marked improvement of the results of this study over conventional analysis based on classical damping approximations.     

Response spectrum analysis for non-classically damped linear system with multiple-support excitations

A new response spectrum method, which is named complex multiple-support response spectrum (CMSRS) method in this article, is developed for seismic analysis of non-classically damped linear system subjected to spatially varying multiple-supported ground motion. The CMSRS method is based on fundamental principles of random vibration theory and properly accounts for the effect of correlation between the support motions as well as between the modal displacement and velocity responses of structure, and provides an reasonable and acceptable estimate of the peak response in term of peak seismic ground motions and response spectra at the support points and the coherency function. Meanwhile, three new cross-correlation coefficients or cross covariance especially for the non-classically damped linear structures with multiple-supports excitations are derived under the same assumptions of the MSRS method of classically damped system. The CMSRS method is examined and compared to the results of time history analyses in two numerical examples of non-classically damped structures in consideration of the coherences of spatially variable ground motion. The results show that for non-classically damped structure, the cross terms representing the cross covariance between the pseudo-static and dynamic component are also quite small just as same as classically damped system. In addition, it is found that the usual way of neglecting all the off-diagonal elements in transformed damping matrix in modal coordinates in order to make the concerned non-classically damped structure to become remaining proportional damping property will bring some errors in the case of subjected to spatially excited inhomogeneous ground motion.     

On precise time integration method for non-classically damped MDOF systems

In the complex mode superposition method, the equations of motion for non-classically damped multiple-degree-of-freedom （MDOF） discrete systems can be transferred into a combination of some generalized SDOF complex oscillators. Based on the state space theory, a precise recurrence relationship for these complex oscillators is set up; then a delicate general solution of non-classically damped MDOF systems, completely in real value form, is presented in this paper. In the proposed method, no calculation of the matrix exponential function is needed and the algorithm is unconditionally stable. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed method.     

Inclusion of higher modes in the analysis of non-classically damped systems

A time-integration procedure for dynamic analysis of non-classically damped systems, in which high-frequency modes play a significant role, is suggested. This procedure is an extension of Clough and Mojtahedi's¹ method. Clough and Mojtahedi suggested integration of the transformed coupled equations of motion where the transformation is done using a truncated set of undamped mode-shapes. The proposed extension consists in adding the response of all the higher modes through a quasistatic analysis. Approximations involved in using such a procedure are examined. Numerical results presented indicate that the proposed extension leads to a significant improvement over Clough and Mojtahedi's method.     

Eigenproperties of non-classically damped primary structure and equipment systems by a perturbation approach

Closed-form expressions are obtained to calculate the approximate complex eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a system composed of a non-classically damped primary structure and a single degree of freedom oscillator. The expressions are obtained through a systematic second order perturbation analysis of a transformed eigenvalue problem of the combined system. The possibility of tuning between the structure and equipment is considered. The dynamic properties of the combined system are derived in terms of the complex eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the supporting structure and the frequency, mass and damping ratio of the equipment. Examples demonstrating the accuracy of the expressions for the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are presented. These eigenproperties are used for generation of floor response spectra for non-classically damped structures to incorporate the dynamic interaction effects between the structure and equipment.     

Range of applicability of real mode superposition approximation method for seismic response calculation of non-classically damped industrial buildings

An industrial building is a non-classically damped system due to the different damping properties of the primary structure and equipment.The objective of this paper is to quantify the range of applicability of the real model superposition approximation method to the seismic re sponse calculation of industrial buildings.The analysis using lumped mas s-and-shear spring models indicates that for the equipment-to-structure frequency ratios γ_f> 1.1 or y <0.9,the non-classical damping...     

Mode acceleration-based response spectrum approach for nonclassically damped structures

The paper describes the development of a mode accleration-based response spectrum approach for calculating the seismic design response of the nonclassically damped structures. The response is divided into a pseudo-static part and a dynamic part. The pseudo-static part is calculated by a simple static analysis of the structure for the inertial forces, induced by a unit ground acceleration, applied statically. The dynamic part, of course, pends upon the dynamic characteritics of the structure which are defined in terms of the complex-valued modal characteristics. The correlation between the pseudo-static and dynamic components is properly considered. The design ground input in this approach is defined in terms of the relative acceleration and relative velocity response spectra. The proposed approach has the desired attribute of the mode acceleration approach as the response can be accurately calculated even if only a first few modes are used in the analysis. The approach is computationally more efficient than the convenionally used mode displacement approach. The applicability of the approach is verified by numerical simulation results.