Sensitivity-Based Model Updating of Building Frames using Modal Test Data

Model updating is of significant importance in the actual analyses of real structures. The differences between experimental and numerical dynamic characteristics can be minimized by means of this procedure. This procedure can be carried out using two approaches, namely, the manual model updating and the global or local automated model updating. The local model updating is a convenient tool for all kind of structures capable of minimizing the differences mentioned previously nearly to zero and also of identifying the damage locations and monitoring structural integrity. In this way, current realistic behavior of structures can be represented by updated finite element models. This paper describes a Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame model, its ambient vibration testing, finite element modeling and sensitivity-based automated model updating. The RC frame is of ½ geometric scale with two floors and two bays in the longitudinal direction. It was built and then subjected to ambient vibration tests to determine experimentally their dynamic characteristics. Additionally, the finite element computer program ANSYS was used to determine its initial numerical dynamic characteristics. The experimental and numerical results were compared resulting in maximum differences of 38.38% between them. To minimize these differences, the finite element model was updated using the global and local automated approach using a sensitivity-based analyses with some uncertain parameters. The differences were finally reduced to 4.4% and 0.21% by the global and the local automated model updatings, respectively. It is concluded that sensitivity-based automated updating is a very effective procedure to obtain the updated finite element model which can reflect the current behavior of a structure.