Altunişik, A.C.; Okur, F.Y.; Genç, A.F.; Günaydin, M.; Karahasan, O.

Finite element models supply the simulation of the problems to obtain the structural behaviors under different loading conditions. The updating processes based on changing the uncertain parameters such as material properties, boundary conditions, meshing size etc. are made to create actual finite element models in order to represent the real conditions of the problems. This procedure can be made using two methods, namely manual model updating and global/local automatic model updating. The global/local automatic model updating procedures are very popular owing to the applicability to all kind of engineering structures, minimizing the differences nearly to zero, availability of damage localization and structural health monitoring. In this paper a historical masonry armory building selected as an application and its finite element analyses, experimental measurements and automated model updating processes are carried out. The finite element model of the structures was developed with ANSYS software and first three natural frequencies are attained. The experimental dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes are obtained using ambient vibration method. The differences between experimental and numerical frequencies are minimized up to the range of 0–1%, by using local updating procedure. The linear and nonlinear seismic analyses of the building are conducted on initial and updated models. At the end of the analyses, maximum displacements, principal stresses and strains are given with detail. In addition, crack distributions diagrams are attained to validate the stresses accumulation points. It can be seen that there is an increasing trend in the displacement, stress and strain values after finite element model updating both linear and nonlinear analysis. In addition, linear and nonlinear analysis results are compared with each other to evaluate the nonlinear analysis effect. It is concluded that the displacement and strain values are increased after nonlinear analysis. But, there is not any agreement in stress values.

Günaydin, M.; Adanur, S.; Altunisik, A. C.; Sevim, B.; Bayraktar, A.

An improved finite element model was used to obtain more accurate modeling of engineering structures. The main goal of this paper was to determine how this improved modeling procedure affects the dynamic response of buildings based on experimental modal parameters such as natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios. For experimental assessment, three small, one-story, two-bay, reinforced concrete buildings with raft foundation were constructed under laboratory conditions. The initial three-dimensional finite element models, built with the ANSYS software, were used to analytically identify modal parameters, including natural frequencies and mode shapes. Following the analytical study, the ambient vibration tests were performed to obtain modal parameters, experimentally. The enhanced frequency domain decomposition method and the stochastic subspace identification method were used to identify the modal parameter. The analytical and experimental modal parameters were compared and then initial finite element models were updated to minimize the differences by changing of some uncertain parameters such as materials properties. With model updating, the maximum difference between the measured and initially obtained frequency was reduced from 28.47 to 4.88%. To show the model updating effect on dynamic response of building models, dynamic analysis with the experimental computed damping ratios and 5% damping ratio were carried out using 1992 Erzincan earthquake ground motion record. For the experimental damping ratios, the maximum differences in the displacements and stresses between the initial and updated models were obtained as 23 and 32%, respectively. These differences were calculated as 43 and 15 % for the 5 % damping ratio. Comparisons of dynamic analyses results for the initial and updated model show that the finite element model updating affects the dynamic response of the buildings considerably.