Identification of Modal Properties of a Tall Glue-Laminated Timber Frame Building under Long-Term Ambient Vibrations and Forced Vibrations
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 10
Abstract
This paper presents a unique study on the dynamic identification of the tallest glue-laminated timber frame building in the world using forced vibration tests (FVTs) and long-term ambient vibration tests (AVTs). Because the amount of sway in service under wind has become the governing design criterion for tall timber buildings, this paper aims to provide useful information and evaluate available tools and methods for modal identification in tall glulam timber frame buildings. First, combined operational modal analysis schemes based on the variational mode decomposition with the stochastic subspace identification and the random decrement technique were adopted to identify the modal properties from nonstationary ambient data. Then, unique full-scale forced vibration tests were conducted using two different methods to excite the building: measured electrodynamic shakers excitation and unmeasured rhythmic human-induced excitation. Finally, a finite-element (FE) model of the tall glulam frame building was developed and frequency response function (FRF)–based model updating was conducted showing that the FE model was able to predict the modal behavior of the test building. The results show that natural frequencies identified from output-only techniques are in good agreement with the FVT results. Damping ratios obtained from both AVTs and FVTs exhibited amplitude-dependent behavior with a larger variation observed in the FVT results due to larger range of response amplitudes. These results have significant consequences for the design of tall timber buildings under serviceability-level loading, where damping plays an important role. The resulting damping ranges presented in this paper can serve as a useful guideline for practicing engineers in developing their prediction models of tall timber buildings under serviceability-level loading.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This research was conducted as part of the Dynamic Response of Tall Timber Buildings under Service Load (DynaTTB) project. The authors are grateful to the European research area net (ERA-NET) Cofund Forest Value and all the corresponding funding bodies (Norwegian Research Council and UK Forestry Commission) for their assistance and financial support. Special thanks to Moelven Limtre AS for their assistance during the experimental work.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 10 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 31, 2023
Accepted: Jan 29, 2024
Published online: Jul 16, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 16, 2024
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