Parametric uncertainty in dynamic models of civil structures

Abstract

Dynamic analysis of a structure is an essential procedure to design structures subjected to dynamic loads. The objective of dynamic analysis is to determine the structure's response and interpret those results in order to design the structure. However, the presence of uncertainties associated with geometric parameters, material properties and unmodelled dynamics affects the structural response, and these uncertainties are not considered in the structure's dynamical model. Although several tools for treatment of uncertainty have been developed, structured uncertainty is ideal for inclusion into structural models because it allows modelling the variations in both physical parameters and neglected dynamics in systems. This paper presents a parametric uncertainty description for a steel grandstand model built at School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Universidad del Valle. Results show that analytical uncertainty model of the structure is able to represent a set of dynamical systems identified by forced vibration tests under different occupation conditions with variations in mass and damping parameters.