Dynamic Characterization Test of the New Law Court in Naples
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 23, Issue 1
Abstract
The New Law Court in Naples, Italy is a group of buildings where all the law activities of the city are conducted. Load tests on the structure were required for the final acceptance of the purchaser after the construction was complete. Given the particular type and shape of the structure, traditional load tests were not possible so it was decided: (1) to conduct a dynamic test of the structure; (2) to analyze its dynamic behavior; and (3) to verify its seismic reliability. The investigation focused on the skylight of the central portion of the building complex, formed by steel frames supported by a concrete structure. The structural behavior was quite complex. Frequencies associated with both the global modal shapes of the whole structure (which were often coupled themselves) and the local resonances of single members were identified. The seismic test showed a non-negligible reduction of the first structural frequency when increasing the level of stress. This behavior is related to the contribution given by the nonstructural components which cannot be neglected, when service stresses are low. The structural characterization allowed the calibration of the finite-element model, whose dynamic characteristics were very close to the experimental ones.
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References
Bendat, J. S., and Piersol, A. G. (1984). Engineering applications of correlation and spectral analysis, Wiley, New York.
Ewins, D. J. (1984). Modal testing: Theory and practice, Research Study Press, Baldock, U.K.
Istituto Sperimentale Modelli e Strutture (ISMES). (1993). Nuovo palazzo di giustizia—Napoli—III lotto—Prove di caratterizzazione dinamica e di collaudo sismico del lucernario, ISMES, Bergamo (in Italian).
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© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: May 3, 2007
Accepted: Aug 26, 2008
Published online: Feb 1, 2009
Published in print: Feb 2009
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