This study investigates the vibration response and dynamic characteristics of the Shigudeng Pavilion under environmental excitation, employing a comprehensive approach that includes vibration response measurements, theoretical analysis, and finite element numerical simulation. An in-depth examination of the appearance and stress status of the Shigudeng Pavilion in Yao Ancient Village in southern Hunan was conducted, and the horizontal acceleration of different floors of the pavilion under environmental excitation was ascertained through field measurements. The NExT-ERA method was utilized to identify the modal parameters (frequency, damping ratio, and vibration pattern) of the measured timber construction. Subsequently, a finite element analysis model of the ancient timber building was developed and refined using ANSYS Workbench finite element software. This study proposes a specific repair plan addressing apparent defects and structural damage in the measured ancient timber building, offering theoretical and technical references for the conservation and repair of similar structures.

The field measurement of wind-induced response is of great significance to the wind resistance design of high-rise buildings, in particular torsional responses measured from high-rise buildings under typhoons. The measured high-rise building, with a height of 108 m, has 32 stories and is supported by giant trusses with four massive columns. Acceleration responses along translational and torsional directions were monitored synchronously and continuously during the passage of Typhoon Sarika on 18 October 2016. The wind speed and wind direction at the height of 115 m, the translational accelerations on a total of six floors and the angular accelerations on a total of four floors were recorded. The time and frequency domain characteristics of translational acceleration and torsional angular accelerations were analyzed. The amplitude-dependent translational and torsional modal frequencies of the measured building were identified by NExT-ERA, SSI, and RDT methods. The full-scale study is expected to provide useful information on the wind-resistant design of high-rise buildings in typhoon-prone regions.

Ancient masonry pagodas hold significant scientific, historical, and cultural importance. However, due to the complexity of masonry materials, structures, and boundary conditions, establishing finite element static and dynamic models for ancient masonry pagodas is highly challenging. This study aimed to explore the dynamic characteristics and finite element numerical simulation methods of ancient masonry pagodas in Yongzhou, Hunan province. It focused on the Huilong Pagoda in Yongzhou, where in situ test experiments under natural excitation are conducted. The SSI and NExT-ERA methods were employed to determine the ancient pagoda’s natural frequencies, vibration patterns, and damping ratios, and to validate the NExT-ERA method. The macroscopic numerical model of the Huilong Pagoda was calibrated using measured results. Subsequently, the NExT-ERA identification results were compared and analyzed with the numerical simulation results of the dynamic characteristics. The results indicate that the first three orders of natural frequencies for the ancient pagoda in the east–west direction are 1.937 Hz, 6.802 Hz, and 21.361 Hz, respectively. Similarly, the first three orders of natural frequencies in the north–south direction are 1.935 Hz, 7.439 Hz, and 21.398 Hz. The results obtained from both methods revealed that the overall structural damping ratio ranges from 0.21% to 2.89%. The numerical model was analyzed using ANSYS, and the first three orders of natural frequencies obtained were highly consistent with the measured values, exhibiting a maximum relative error of 8.54%. The numerical simulation method developed in this study can effectively simulate masonry pagodas.

Full measurements for the wind field atop a 32-storey building (supported by four huge columns) and for the dynamic responses of different floors were conducted on 15 October 2017 to obtain the translational and torsional responses of the high-rise building during the Typhoon Khanun. The time histories of the torsional angular acceleration responses on the 24th and 32nd floors of the high-rise building were obtained using RA013 rotational accelerometer, and those of the translational acceleration responses on the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, 30th and 32nd floors along axial direction were recorded by the translational accelerometer. The variation rules of the translational and torsional acceleration responses with floor height and mean wind speed were disclosed, and the response ratios between the torsional and translational acceleration were analyzed when basic time intervals were 10 min. Based on the target probability method, the value range of the acceleration peak factor with different target reliability under Typhoon Khanun was proposed. The results show that the translational and torsional acceleration peak values and root mean squares are the power functions of mean wind speed. The values of acceleration peak factors are recommended to be 3.0 and 5.0 if target reliabilities are determined as 99.38% and 100%, respectively. Research on torsional response measurements can accumulate valuable scientific data and lay solid foundations for the subsequent studies on the torsional wind-resistant design of high-rise buildings.

On 18 October 2016, the wind-induced effects of a high-rise building with square section was measured by the monitoring system in Haikou of China during Typhoon Sarika. The wind characteristics atop the building and the time-history responses of the translational and rotational accelerations on different floors were measured by the monitoring system; the first three modal parameters were identified according to the measured acceleration. The results show that the combinations of the cross spectral density function, phase spectrum, and coherence function can clearly judge the phase of the measured floors in the frequency resonance area as well as its modal frequencies at the first three orders. The modal frequencies at the first three orders decrease linearly with the growth of mean wind speed within the range of 0~20m/s. The estimation formula of the modal frequencies of high-rise buildings considering the influences of different wind speeds is put forward, which is expected to fill the gap in the existing specification for the quantitative analysis of the influences of wind-loads on the fundamental frequencies of high-rise buildings.

To study the dynamic response of multi-span mortise and tenon stone bridges under natural excitation, a bluestone multi-span stone bridge with a main span of 2.56 m in southern China was taken as the research object. Based on the collected pulsating signals of bridge piers and slabs, the natural frequencies and damping ratios of the main span bridge slab and pier were analyzed using the half-power broadband method (HPBM) and random decrement technique (RDT). Modal analysis was conducted using ANSYS, and the results were compared with those obtained from on-site experiments for further performance analysis. The research results of this article indicate that the natural frequency range of the 2.56-m bridge slab identified by measured signals is 48–49 Hz, and the damping ratio range is 33.33–36.61%. The natural frequency of the central pier is 75–76 Hz, and the damping ratio range is 26.39–27.83%. Through finite element modal analysis, the natural frequency of the bridge slab is 54.401 Hz, with an error of 10.5%. The natural frequency of the overall stone bridge is about 82.2 Hz, with an error of about 8.2%. The validated finite element model was subjected to normal water flow impact and erosion simulation. The results indicate that under erosion with fewer particles and lower flow rates, the upstream pier bottom at the center receives the highest relative erosion mass and displacement per unit area. The bridge deck near the main span also experienced relative displacement. Therefore, in the subsequent protection work, special attention should be paid to these components.