Dynamic Behavior of the Palazzo Lombardia Tower: Comparison of Numerical Models and Experimental Results
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28, Issue 3
Abstract
The Palazzo Lombardia Tower, located at the heart of the city of Milan, Italy, recently was completed. At 161.30 m high, the new building is currently the tallest in Italy and one of the most prominent features of the city skyline for many years to come. Given the strategic importance and the strong impact of the new building, it was decided to perform a series of dynamic excitation tests, with special emphasis on the Tower. Thus, it was possible to estimate its basic modal features and then compare them to the numerical simulation predictions provided by the same finite-element (FE) numerical analysis used for design. This offered the chance to start an important and interesting model-updating procedure, taking advantage of both the actual material properties measured during the construction phase and dynamic measurements, the latter having added significant insight to the structural behavior. The mechanical engineering department of the Polytechnic University of Milan was in charge of the design and execution of the tests. Professor F. Mola served as the structural designer of the building and also supervised the design and interpretation of the tests, together with the staff of ECSD Engineering and CAD DataConsult, who created the analytical model of the complete structure to be used as a benchmark for the experimental results. The tests provided an experimental validation of the modeling assumptions accuracy and of the robustness and reliability of the FE model in predicting the structural behavior. Moreover, the experimental validation of the FE model of the Tower was meant as the initial part of an intended continuous monitoring activity. This paper describes the main structural features of the Palazzo Lombardia Tower and those of the experimental tests. Also, the FE model is presented and the comparison between the numerically predicted and the experimentally derived modal properties is discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge, for the help and the opportunity given, the following parties: Regione Lombardia (owner); Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects (USA) with Caputo Partnership (Italy) and Sistema Duemila (Italy), Architectural Project Supervisor Henry N. Cobb (architectural designers); Infrastrutture Lombarde Spa (construction supervisor); Consorzio Torre Spa (general contractor); Impregilo Spa, President and General Manager Gaetano Salonia (lead contractor); Vinicio Scerri (site technical manager); and Guglielmo Fariello (construction site general manager and safety supervisor).
References
Bendat, J. S., and Piersol, A. G. (2000). Random data: Analysis and measurement procedures, 3rd Ed., Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ.
British Standards Institution (BSI). (1990). BS EN 1990 Eurocode 0: Basis of structural design, London.
Brownjohn, J. M. W. (2007). “Structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 365(1851), 589–622.
Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. (2006). User’s Guide–NBC 2005: Structural Commentaries (Part 4 of Division B), National Research Council Canada, Institute for Research in Construction, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Caprioli, A., Cigada, A., Gentile, C., and Vanali, M. (2009) “Comparison of two different OMA techniques applied to vibration data measured on a Stadium grandstand.” Proc., Int. Conf. IOMAC ’09—3rd Int. Operational Modal Analysis Conf., Univ. of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal, 81–87.
Carden, E. P. (2004). “Vibration based condition monitoring: A review.” Struct. Health Monit., 3(4), 355–377.
Cattaneo, A., Manzoni, S., and Vanali, M. (2010). “Measurement uncertainty in operational modal analysis of a civil structure.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Uncertainty in Structural Dynamics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, 5103–5116.
Cattaneo, A., Manzoni, S., and Vanali, M. (2011). “Numerical investigations on the measurement uncertainty in operational modal analysis of a civil structure.” Proc., Int. Conf. IMAC XXIX, Society for Experimental Mechanics, Bethel, CT.
Cigada, A., Caprioli, A., Redaelli, M., and Vanali, M. (2008a). “Numerical modeling and experimental modal analysis of a concrete grand-stand structure to structural health monitoring purposes.” Proc., Int. Conf. IMAC XXVI, Society for Experimental Mechanics, Bethel, CT.
Cigada, A., Caprioli, A., Redaelli, M., and Vanali, M. (2008b). “Vibration testing at Meazza Stadium: Reliability of operational modal analysis to health monitoring purposes.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil., 228–237.
Cigada, A., Caprioli, A., Redaelli, M., and Vanali, M. (2008c). “Long term monitoring of the G. Meazza stadium in Milan, from the first measurements to the permanent monitoring system installation.” Proc., Int. Conf. Eurodyn, Southampton, U.K.
Cigada, A., Mola, E., Mola, F., Stella, G., Vanali, M., and Zappa, E. (2011). “L’importanza del collaudo dinamico delle strutture.” Tutto Misure, 44(11), 277–280 (in Italian).
Cigada, A., Moschioni, G., Vanali, M., and Caprioli, A. (2010). “The measurement network of the San Siro Meazza Stadium in Milan: Origin and implementation of a new data acquisition strategy for structural health monitoring.” Exp. Tech., 34(1), 70–81.
Consiglio Superiore dei Lavori Pubblici. (2008). Nuove Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni, DM 14-01-08, Rome (in Italian).
Cornwell, P. J., Farrar, C. R., Doebling, S. W., and Sohn, H. (1999). “Environmental variability of modal properties.” Exp. Tech., 23(6), 45–48.
Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). (2014). “CTBUH height criteria.” 〈http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/HeightStatistics/Criteria/tabid/446/language/en-US/Default.aspx〉 (Mar. 13, 2014).
D’Antona, G., and Ferrero, A. (2006). Digital signal processing for measurement systems: Theory and applications (information technology: transmission, processing and storage), Springer, New York.
Doebling, S. W., Farrar, C. R., and Prime, M. B. (1998). “A summary review of vibration-based damage identification methods.” Shock Vib. Digest, 30(2), 91–105.
Doebling, S. W., Farrar, C. R., Prime, M. B., and Shevitz, D. W. (1996). “Damage identification and health monitoring of structural and mechanical systems from changes in their vibration characteristics: A literature review.” Rep. LA-13070-MS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.
El-Kafafy, M., Guillaume, P., Peeters, B., Marra, F., and Coppotelli, G. (2012). “Advanced frequency-domain modal analysis for dealing with measurement noise and parameter uncertainty.” Proc., Int. Conf. IMAC XXX, Society for Experimental Mechanics, Bethel, CT, 179–202.
Ewins, J. (2001). Modal testing: Theory, practice and application, 2nd Ed., Taylor & Francis Group, London.
Fan, W., and Qiao, P. (2010). “Vibration-based damage identification methods: A review and comparative study.” Struct. Health Monit., 10(1), 83–111.
Farrar, C. R. (1997). “System identification from ambient vibration measurements on a bridge.” J. Sound Vib., 205(1), 1–18.
Fédération International de la Précontrainte (CEB/FIP). (1993). “Structural effects of time-dependent behaviour of concrete.” Bulletin No. 215, Paris.
GT STRUDL 30 [Computer software]. Huntsville, AL, Intergraph.
Huth, O., Feltrin, G., Maeck, J., Kilic, N., and Motavalli, M. (2005). “Damage identification using modal data: Experiences on a prestressed concrete bridge.” J. Struct. Eng., 1898–1910.
Institution of Structural Engineers. (2008). Dynamic performance requirements for permanent grandstands subject to crowd action: Recommendations for management design and assessment, London.
ISO. (1997). “Mechanical vibration and shock – Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration – Part 1: General requirements.” 2631-1:1997, Geneva.
ISO. (2003). “Mechanical vibration and shock – Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration – Part 2: Vibration in buildings.” 2631-2:2003, Geneva.
Mohanty, P., and Rixen, D. J. (2004). “Operational modal analysis in the presence of harmonic excitation.” J. Sound Vib., 270(1–2), 93–109.
Mola, F. (2010). “The Altra Sede building for the Regione Lombardia in Milan: Conceptual design and technological features of the tallest building in Italy.” Proc., IABSE Symp. 2010, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, Zurich, Switzerland.
Peeters, B., Van der Auweraer, H., Guillaume, P., and Leuridan, J. (2004). “The PolyMAX frequency-domain method: A new standard for modal parameter estimation?” Shock Vib., 11(3–4), 395–409.
Peeters, B., Vanhollebeke, H., and Van der Auweraer, H. (2005). “Operational PolyMAX for estimating the dynamic properties of a stadium structure during a football game.” Proc., Int. Conf. IMAC XXIII, Society for Experimental Mechanics, Bethel, CT.
Pintelon, R., Guillaume, P., and Schoukens, J. (2007). “Uncertainty calculation in (operational) modal analysis.” Mech. Syst. Signal Process., 21(6), 2359–2373.
Salawu, O. S. (1997). “Detection of structural damage through changes in frequency: A review.” Eng. Struct., 19(9), 718–723.
Sohn, H., et al. (2004). “A review of structural health monitoring literature: 1996–2001.” Rep. LA-13976-MS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.
Teughels, A., and De Roeck, G. (2004). “Structural damage identification of the highway bridge Z24 by FE model updating.” J. Sound Vib., 278(3), 589–610.
Vanali, M., and Cigada, A. (2009). “Long term operational modal analysis of a stadium grandstand to structural health monitoring purposes.” Proc., IEEE Workshop on Environmental, Energy, and Structural Monitoring Systems, IEEE, New York, 103–109.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 21, 2012
Accepted: Jan 2, 2013
Published online: May 15, 2014
Published in print: Jun 1, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.