This paper presents a framework for life-cycle loss estimation for non-structural damage in tall buildings under wind and seismic loads. Life-cycle cost analysis is a useful design tool for decision- makers, aimed at predicting monetary losses over the lifetime of a structure, accounting for uncertainties involved in the problem definition. For tall buildings, sensitive to dynamic excitations like earthquake and wind, it can be particularly suitable to base design decisions not only on initial cost and performance but also on future repair expenses. The proposed approach harmonises the procedures for intervention costs evaluation of structures subjected to multiple-hazards, taking into account the peculiar differences of wind and earthquake, in terms of load characterisation, type and evolution of damage. Relative effect of the two hazards on damage to drift- and acceleration-sensitive non-structural elements are examined. The influence of uncertainty in structural damping is also taken into account. It is shown that, although it is commonly believed that the design of a given structure is usually dominated by either winds or earthquakes, when LCC-based design is performed, both winds and earthquakes may be important.
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) based on Automated Operational Modal Analysis (A-OMA) has gained increasing importance in the conservation of heritage structures over recent decades. In this context, finite element model updating techniques using modal data constitute a commonly used approach for damage identification. Nevertheless, the large number of simulations usually involved in the associated minimization problem hinders the application to real-time condition assessment. This is especially critical for historic buildings, where the modelling of complex geometries involves large computational burdens. Alternatively, surrogate models offer an efficient solution to replace computationally demanding numerical models and so perform continuous model updating. In this light, this paper presents a surrogate-based model updating approach for online assessment of historic buildings and its application to a medieval masonry tower, the Sciri Tower in Perugia (Italy). Using modal properties identified by A-OMA, the proposed approach allows the continuous fitting of certain damage-sensitive parameters of the structure. To do so, three different surrogate models are considered, including the quadratic response surface method, Kriging, and Random Sampling High-Dimensional Model Representation, and their effectiveness is compared from an SHM perspective. The reported results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed methodology for tracking the temperature-dependent intrinsic properties of the tower.
1 December 2017 in Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics