Simulation of large-scale numerical substructure in real-time dynamic hybrid testing

A solution scheme is proposed in this paper for an existing RTDHT system to simulate large-scale finite element(FE) numerical substructures. The analysis of the FE numerical substructure is split into response analysis and signal generation tasks, and executed in two different target computers in real-time. One target computer implements the response analysis task, wherein a large time-step is used to solve the FE substructure, and another target computer implements the signal generation task, wherein an interpolation program is used to generate control signals in a small time-step to meet the input demand of the controller. By using this strategy, the scale of the FE numerical substructure simulation may be increased significantly. The proposed scheme is initially verified by two FE numerical substructure models with 98 and 1240 degrees of freedom(DOFs). Thereafter, RTDHTs of a single frame-foundation structure are implemented where the foundation, considered as the numerical substructure, is simulated by the FE model with 1240 DOFs. Good agreements between the results of the RTDHT and those from the FE analysis in ABAQUS are obtained.     

子结构地震模拟振动台混合试验原理与实现

为了解决地震模拟振动台承载能力及台面尺寸对大型结构试验的限制,扩展振动台的功能,本文提出了子结构地震模拟振动台混合试验方法、试验过程及实时数值积分方法,并给出了试验子结构边界条件的两种模拟形式.通过一个简单框架结构的地震模拟振动台试验和子结构混合加载试验验证了该方法的可行性,并指出了该试验方法的主要技术问题.混合试验方法通过子结构技术和振动台试验相结合,解决了目前的地震模拟振动台试验和拟动力试验在设备规模和加载速度上的局限性.     

Online test using displacement–force mixed control

This paper proposes an online test technique that employs mixed control of displacement and force. Two types of mixed control, ‘displacement–force combined control’ and ‘displacement–force switching control’ are proposed. In displacement–force combined control, one jack is operated by displacement‐control, and another is operated by force‐control. Validity of the combined control technique is demonstrated by a series of online tests applied to a base‐isolated structure subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motions simultaneously. The substructuring technique is employed in the tests, and the base‐isolation layer is tested, with the rest of the structure modeled in the computer. Displacement‐control and force‐control were adopted for simulating the horizontal and vertical response, respectively. Both displacement‐ and force‐control were implemented successfully despite interference between the two jacks. Earthquake responses of the base‐isolated structure involving the effects of varying axial forces on the horizontal hysteretic behavior of the base‐isolation layer were simulated. In the displacement–force switching control, the jack was operated by displacement‐control when the test specimen was flexible but switched to force‐control once the specimen became stiff. Validity of the switching control technique was also checked by a series of online tests applied to the base‐isolated structure subjected to vertical ground motions. Switching between displacement‐control and force‐control was achieved when the axial force applied to the base‐isolation layer changed from tension to compression or from compression to tension. Both the displacement‐ and force‐control were successful even with many rounds of switching. The test revealed that large accelerations occurred on the floor immediately above the base‐isolation layer at the instants when the axial force of the base‐isolation layer changed from tension to compression. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance evaluation of a distributed hybrid test framework to reproduce the collapse behavior of a structure

A hybrid numerical and experimental simulation to collapse was conducted on a one‐half scale moment‐resisting frame building with two experimental substructures at different locations. An extensible hybrid test framework was used that adopts a generalized interface to encapsulate each numerical or tested substructure, through which only boundary displacements and forces are exchanged. Equilibrium and compatibility between substructures are enforced by an iterative quasi‐Newton procedure, while adopting a predictor‐and‐corrector method to avoid loading reversals on physically tested substructures. To overcome difficulties in controlling stiff axial and rotational deformations at the boundaries, the flexible test scheme employs either open‐loop or closed‐loop control at the boundaries: enforcing either compatibility or equilibrium, or both requirements at critical boundaries. The effectiveness of the extensible framework and its capability to simulate structural behavior through collapse is demonstrated by a geographically distributed test that reproduced the collapse behavior of a four‐story, two‐bay, steel moment frame previously tested on an earthquake simulator. A comparison of both experiments highlights the viability of the hybrid test as an effective tool for the performance evaluation of structural systems from the onset of damage through collapse. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Control nodes based loading method: A versatile approach for multi-degree-of-freedom loading in quasi-static tests and hybrid simulations

In quasi-static and hybrid tests, accurate reproduction of structural responses often requires multi-degree-of-freedom (multi-DOF) loading methods. A successful loading method should not only be used on specific specimens for research purposes, but also be applicable to all possible types of specimen and testing setups for engineering purposes. However, for different specimens, the concerned nodes and DOFs differ in size, leading to non-uniform kinematic transformation between the Cartesian system and the actuators/transducers coordinate systems. While for different testing setups, the type of loading targets on each DOF varies, they can be displacement or force. These diversities together make it difficult to achieve versatility in applying loading methods. To address this challenge, a control nodes based loading method was proposed. This method was constructed based on the viewpoint that any specimen can be treated as a combination of several control nodes, and the loading loop should be constructed on each control node. In this method, at first, the loading targets, actuators and external transducers were assigned to each control node accordingly. Then, the loading loops were constructed based on each control node instead of the entire specimen DOFs, which is capable of achieving uniform kinematic transformation and also convenient to apply redundant controlling. Finally, all the control nodes were assembled in one closed loop to support mixed force-displacement loading considering the coupling of multiple DOFs. Hybrid tests and quasi-static tests of a full-scale steel frame were carried out to demonstrate the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed loading method.     

Development of peer‐to‐peer (P2P) internet online hybrid test system

A new Internet online hybrid test system, designated the ‘peer‐to‐peer (P2P) Internet online hybrid test system’, is proposed. In the system, the simulated structure is divided into multiple substructures, and each substructure is analysed numerically or tested physically in parallel at geographically distributed locations. The equations of motion are not formulated for the entire structure but for each substructure separately. Substructures are treated as highly independent systems, and only standard I/O, i.e. displacements and forces at the boundaries, are used as interfaces. A ‘Coordinator’ equipped with an iterative algorithm based on quasi‐Newton iterations is developed to achieve compatibility and equilibrium at boundaries. A test procedure, featuring two rounds of quasi‐Newton iterations and using assumed elastic stiffness, is adopted to avoid iteration for the substructure being tested physically. A fast and stable solution using a socket mechanism is developed for data exchange over the Internet. Demonstration tests applied to a base‐isolated structure was conducted, and the results are compared with an online hybrid test using the conventional test method. The results obtained from the P2P Internet hybrid test match very closely those obtained from the conventional tests. Investigations are also carried out on time consumption and control accuracy. The results show that the Internet data exchange solution using the socket mechanism is fast, and tests were completed successfully under the constructed Internet online hybrid test environment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical characteristics of peer‐to‐peer (P2P) internet online hybrid test system and its application to seismic simulation of SRC structure

The peer‐to‐peer (P2P) Internet online hybrid test system has been developed for the seismic simulation of a structure. In this study, the stability and accuracy of the system are investigated analytically by studying the spectral radius of the recursive matrix of the test scheme featuring a two‐round quasi‐Newton test scheme. The applicability of the system is further examined by exploring the seismic responses of a complex structure, a steel‐encased reinforced concrete (SRC) structure with a steel tower on the top. The structure is divided into two numerical substructures and one tested part for hybrid test. The numerical substructures are simulated by sophisticated finite element method (FEM) models with material nonlinearities to capture local plastifications. Two types of FEM programs, namely OpenSEES and ABAQUS, which are suitable for the SRC part and the steel tower, respectively, are employed. The results demonstrate that the P2P system is able to simulate complex structures with significant nonlinearities. As compared with the previous study in which two elastic numerical substructures were considered, increase in the number of iterations in this study is not significant, because the associated nonlinearities are limited due to the small time interval adopted in the test. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collapse simulation of a four‐story steel moment frame by a distributed online hybrid test

The collapse of a one‐bay, four‐story steel moment frame is simulated in this study by the proposed peer‐to‐peer (P2P) Internet online hybrid test system. The typical beam hinging mechanism, which is ensured by a strong‐column, weak‐beam design, is reproduced. The plastic hinges at the column bases are taken as the experimental portions, while the superstructure is analyzed numerically by a general‐purpose finite element program. The implicit plastic rotations of the two column bases are treated as boundary displacements. In order to account for the complex behavior of the column bases, the P2P system is modified to use the secant stiffness during iterations, and the physical specimens are designed such that the plastic hinge behavior can be obtained. For this study, the three substructures are distributed to different locations. A large ground motion is repeatedly imposed until the column bases lose their capacity to sustain the gravity load. As a result, significant deterioration is observed at both column bases. The proposed P2P system is thus demonstrated to be able to accommodate multiple‐tested substructures involving unstable behavior. The results suggest that the P2P Internet online hybrid test system provides a reliable means of studying structures up to collapse. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Real time hybrid simulation: from dynamic system,motion control to experimental error

Real‐time hybrid simulation (RTHS) has increasingly been recognized as a powerful methodology to evaluate structural components and systems under realistic operating conditions. It is a cost effective approach compared with large scale shake table testing. Furthermore, it can maximally preserve rate dependency and nonlinear characteristics of physically tested (non)structural components. Although conceptually very attractive, challenges do exist that require comprehensive validation before RTHS should be employed to assess complicated physical phenomena. One of the most important issues that governs the stability and accuracy of an RTHS is the ability to achieve synchronization of boundary conditions between the computational and physical substructures. The objective of this study is to propose and validate an H_∞ loop shaping design for actuator motion control in RTHS. Controller performance is evaluated in the laboratory using a worst‐case substructure proportioning scheme. A modular, one‐bay, one‐story steel moment resisting frame specimen is tested experimentally. Its deformation is kept within the linear range for ready comparison with the reference closed‐form solution. Both system analysis and experimental results show that the proposed H_∞ strategy can significantly improve both the stability limit and test accuracy compared with several existing strategies. Another key feature of the proposed strategy is its robust performance in terms of unmodeled dynamics and uncertainties, which inevitably exist in any physical system. This feature is essential to enhance test quality for specimens with nonlinear dynamic behavior, thus ensuring the validity of the proposed approach for more complex RTHS implementations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.