C6 Dynamic Analysis of Structural Systems

April 9th, 2024

Dr Jason Dowling, PEng

dowlingj@ae.ca
 C6 Dynamic Analysis of Structural Systems
Notes 1

Course Overview

Class calendar

13 classes (2 hours each)

- 8 fundamentals, 4 application of theory & final exam

Marking
- three term assignments (20% each) & final exam (40%)

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 Course Overview

Content of fundamentals classes

- SDoF and MDoF structures

- The equation of motion
- Dynamic loading, free vibration
- Response to harmonic, periodic and transient loading
- Response to impulsive, general dynamic loading
- Linear and nonlinear response
- Numerical methods
- Frequency domain method of analysis
- Damping in structures
- Concept examples using NONLIN

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 Course Overview

Content of application classes

- Review of MDoF, Mode Shapes

- Modal Analysis
- Applications and Case Studies
- Building
- Tower
- Floor
- Concept examples using NONLIN, SAP2000

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 Course Overview

Reference texts

- AK Chopra, Dynamics of Structures: Theory and Applications to

Earthquake Engineering (6th ed is latest)

- JL Humar, Dynamics of Structures (3rd ed is latest)

- RW Clough and J Penzien, Dynamics of Structures (2nd ed is latest)

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 Class 1

Tuesday, April 9th

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 In This Section We Cover:

Introduction, equations of motion, problem statement, and solution

methods

- Structural dynamics overview

- Simple structures (mostly SDoF)

- The equation of motion

- Damping

- Earthquake excitation

- Problems

- Solutions to the equation of motion

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

1. Structure 2. Excitation 3. Response

- Bridge - Live loads - Rigid body
- Building - Seismic - Body deforms
- Dam - Wind
- Ocean - Distributed params
- Impact/ blast - Discrete params

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

Live Loads

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

Seismic Loads

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

Wind Loads

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

Impact Loads

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 Structural Dynamics Overview

Loading Classification
Deterministic Random Dynamic Load

Periodic Non-periodic

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 Simple Structures

We call these structures simple because they are idealised as a

concentrated mass, m, supported by a massless structure with stiffness,
k, in the lateral direction

Our goal:
To understand the vibration of these structures when subject to a
lateral force

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 Simple Structures

Mathematical Models
Discrete Parameter Distributed Parameter

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 Simple Structures

Discrete Parameter Systems

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 Simple Structures

The simple structure approximation is appropriate for this Pergola, near

Caracas

Heavy roof, light steel columns

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 Simple Structures

It is also appropriate for this RC water tank near Valdivia

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 Simple Structures

Differential equation governing the lateral displacement, u(t), without

any external excitation:

muሷ + ku = 0

The formation of this equation, a variation of the equation of motion, is

one of our immediate goals

We shall then concern ourselves with its solution, which looks like this:

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 Simple Structures

Compare with some real world responses to shaking

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 Simple Structures

From this we recognise the need to incorporate some mechanism by

which the amplitude of the motion may diminish with time

This is most often done using a viscous damper

This is at least in part because it is the simplest structural idealisation

to deal with mathematically

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 Single Degree of Freedom (SDoF) system

A single story may commonly

be idealised as:

Properties are concentrated in three separate, pure components

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 Single Degree of Freedom (SDoF) system

Definition: Degree of Freedom (DoF)

For dynamic analysis, the number of independent displacements

required to define the displaced positions of all masses relative to their
original position

More DoFs are typically necessary to define the stiffness properties,

relative to representing the inertial properties

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 Single Degree of Freedom (SDoF) system

External excitation considered:

1) External force, p(t), in the lateral direction

2) Earthquake induced ground motion, ug(t)

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 Force-displacement relation

This is the start of the formulation of the equation of motion

We want to establish the relationship between an applied static force,

fs, and the associated relative displacement, u

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 Force-displacement relation

For a linear system, fs = ku

For a nonlinear system, the value of k is not singular

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 Force-displacement relation

For a nonlinear system

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 Force-displacement relation

Example 1 - Determine the lateral stiffness of this frame

We can make use of the stiffness coefficients

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 Force-displacement relation

Example 1

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 Force-displacement relation

Example 1

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 Damping

The steadily diminishing amplitude of free vibration

We need to consider this in our equation of motion

We handle this in an idealised manner…

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 Damping

Damping is extremely complex. In an actual structure some of the

energy dissipating mechanisms may include:

- thermal effects of repeated elastic straining

- internal friction from deformation
- friction at connections (steel structure)
- formation of micro-cracks (steel structure)
- friction between the structure and non-structural elements

We handle this in an idealised manner

- most often as a linear viscous damper in SDoF structures

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 Damping

Adding the damping force, fD, to our (incomplete) equation of motion

fD =cuሶ

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 Damping

Unlike stiffness, the equivalent viscous damping coefficient, c, cannot

be calculated from physical dimensions of the structure

It is usually measured experimentally, and this is a topic we will devote

quite a bit of time to later

Outside of the elastic deformation range, the nonlinearity is usually not

handled directly in dynamic analyses

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 External Force

We have so far looked at the stiffness and damping parts of the

equation of motion. It is now time to complete our picture with the
external force part and the inertial part

We can formulate this a few ways

We will use Newton’s 2nd Law

(An example alternative is

D’Alembert’s principle)

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 External Force

It is useful sometimes to think of the external force as distributed

among three pure components of the structure

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 External Force

Example 2 - Develop the equation governing free vibration

The weight of the structure can be idealised as 30lb/ft2;

for the columns: the second moment of area about the x- and y-axes
are Ix = 82.8in4, and Iy = 18.3in4, E = 29000ksi

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 Mass-Spring-Damper system

SDoF systems are commonly represented like this

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 Static Equilibrium Position

This reminds us of the gravity loads that we have conveniently been

omitting up until now

Example 3 - The equation of motion and gravity loads

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 Static Equilibrium Position

Example 3 - The equation of motion and gravity loads

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 Static Equilibrium Position

Example 4 - What happens if we do not express our equation of motion

with reference to the static equilibrium position?

Let’s try an example of this…

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 Earthquake Excitation

This is our first contact with earthquake excitation, ug(t)

Let’s formulate:
muሷ + cuሶ + ku=−muሷ g (t)

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 Earthquake Excitation

We notice an important point about the last equation of motion we just

formulated:

muሷ + cuሶ + ku=−muሷ g (t)

The equation of motion is identical for a structure subject to two

separate excitations: ground excitation and external force

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 Earthquake Excitation

The solution for a rotational oscillator

Let’s quickly look at the solution for a simple pendulum

The (undamped) equation of motion:

𝜃ሷ + 𝑔Τ𝑙 𝜃 = 0

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 Problem Statement

Response

The term response will be used a lot in this course. It can be used to
refer to any response quantity:

displacement
velocity
acceleration of a mass
internal force or stress

For earthquake excitation we are mostly interested in (absolute or

relative quantities):

u(t)
ሶ
u(t)
ሷ
u(t)
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 Problem Statement

Peak response

This is one of the most important quantities for design, r0

r0 ≡ max r(t)
t

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 Problem Statement

Once we have determined our response

i.e. solved the equation of motion

We can determine the stresses needed for structural design

- from element forces

At each time step in the dynamic analysis, we use the calculated

response as the input to static analyses

The static analysis of our simple idealised one-story SDoF can be done
1) by using the static condensation method
2) by introducing an equivalent static force
(we will see a lot more of this)

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 Combining the Static and Dynamic Responses

We require total forces for design, not just dynamic

1) Linear case
Conveniently, for linear systems we can simply sum the static and
dynamic analyses… Typically this is how it’s done for simple systems

2) Nonlinear case
This cannot be done for nonlinear systems. In part due to the need to
form the stiffness property [K]

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 Solving the Differential Equation

We have learned how to form the equation of motion for our system

muሷ + cuሶ + ku = p(t)

Next, we will solve this

ሶ
The only missing information is u(0) and u(0)

We will look at
1) The classical solution
2) Numerical methods
3) Duhamel’s integral
4) Frequency domain method

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 Solving the Differential Equation

The classical solution to the equation of motion

This is the principal method used for excitations that we can describe
analytically. The solution to the undamped equation of motion, subject
to a step force p(t) = p0, t≥0

muሷ + ku = p0

we know the solution to be:

p
u(t)= 0 1−cosωn t
k

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Derive the solution to:

muሷ + ku = 0

Which we know to be:

ሶ
u(0)
u t = u 0 cosωn t + sinωn t
ωn

Some important things come up here, including the natural circular

k
frequency of vibration, ωn =
m

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 Undamped Free Vibration

We will look at the free vibration of a simple system now and

investigate some natural properties.

We use natural in some property names, like natural circular frequency

of vibration, ωn, seen previously and some more we will see soon, to
emphasise that they are indeed natural system properties (when the
system is allowed to vibrate freely).

Similarly, we can say that for linear systems, there natural properties
ሶ
will be independent of initial conditions (u(0) and u(0))

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 Undamped Free Vibration

The solution gives us Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

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 Undamped Free Vibration

The state of the mass of a system at an instant of time is described by

the displacement and velocity, and is identical at points a and e in the
preceding figure

Definition: Natural period of vibration, Tn

The time required for the undamped system to complete one cycle of
free vibration

2π
Tn =
ωn

Units: [Tn is in s & ωn is in radians/s]

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 Undamped Free Vibration

This naturally gives rise to another parameter

Definition: Natural cyclic frequency of vibration, fn

The time required for the undamped system to complete one cycle of
free vibration

1
fn =
Tn

The term natural frequency of vibration applies to both fn and ωn. And fn
is naturally related to ωn by

ωn
fn =
2π

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Examples of natural period, Tn

Transamerica Building

Tn (N-S) = Tn (E-W) = 2.9s

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Examples of natural period, Tn

Pine Flat Dam

Tn (Reservoir depth ≈ 94m) = 0.288s

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Examples of natural period, Tn

Golden Gate
Bridge

Tn (Tranverse) = 18.2s
Tn (Long.) = 3.81s
Tn (Vertical) = 10.9s

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Examples of natural period, Tn

RC Chimney, France

Tn (N-S) = Tn (E-W) = 3.57s

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 Undamped Free Vibration

Examples of natural period, Tn

Lions Gate
Bridge

Tn (Tranverse) = 6.4s

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 Undamped Free Vibration

What’s important to get from these relations here, is that the natural
vibration properties Tn, ωn and fn depend only on the mass and stiffness
of the structure

This means we can infer some important facts about simple structures

- like the stiffer of two SDoF systems having identical masses will the
higher natural frequency (and lower period)

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