Role and Application of Testing and Computational Techniques in Seismic Engineering

The paper presents an evaluation of structural performance in terms of forces and deformations on a 3D two-storey moment-resisting steel-concrete composite structure designed according to Eurocode 8. It was subjected to different pseudo-dynamic tests, simulating earthquakes scaled up to the collapse onset limit state, followed by a final cyclic test. Performance-based seismic design approaches require both experimental and numerical data able to understand the overall behaviour of a structure up to collapse, taking into account material and geometrical nonlinearities, strength degradation, stiffness deterioration and topology changes, such as separation and detachment. In order to pursue these goals two different testing techniques were integrated with non-linear identification and model updating techniques. In particular, the continuous pseudo-dynamic testing and the recent structural behaviour monitoring that employs limited sensors to collect mission-critical data only from the part of a structure that potentially experiences damage - beam-to-column joints and column bases in this case- were employed. It is shown how integration of experimental and numerical techniques can achieve a better damage assessment and demand/capacity spectra design information.