Application of substructuring concepts to pseudodynamic testing is developed so that analytical subassemblages can be combined with a physical test assemblage to simulate the seismic response of the complete system. Numerical algorithms are developed to carry out analytical substructuring. Their reliability is investigated by means of pseudodynamic tests of several specimens. The results of these tests are presented and discussed and their correlation with analytical simulations is evaluated.
For economic or other reasons, it may be desirable to pseudodynamically test only a portion of a complete structure and model the remaining part analytically. The theoretical background of these substructuring techniques is formulated herein and the characteristics of the integration methods involved in the substructuring algorithms are presented and discussed.
Pseudodynamic tests of several multiple-degree-of-freedom systems were performed to verify the substructuring techniques. A two-degree-of-freedom steel specimen was tested pseudodynamically as a complete system and, subsequently, a three-degree-of-freedom system was tested with its top being modeled analytically.
All these studies indicate that substructuring techniques can be used reliably to combine analytical subassemblages with pseudodynamic test specimens.
