Improving the Seismic Performance of Structural Steel Systems Through Advanced Testing

Recent earthquakes in many parts of the world have resulted in damage to the civil infrastructure, resulting in fatalities and economic loss. This experience has resulted in stake holders demanding a more resilient infrastructure and the mitigation of earthquake hazards to minimize their impact on society. Researchers have developed concepts for structural steel systems to promote resilient performance. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) provides an experimental technique to meet the need to validate new concepts. RTHS enables a complete structural system, including the soil and foundation to be considered in a simulation, interaction effects and rate dependency in component and system response to be accounted for, and realistic demand imposed onto the system for prescribed hazard levels. This paper presents the concept of RTHS and developments achieved at the Lehigh NHERI Experimental Facility that have advanced RTHS to enable accurate large-scale, multidirectional simulations involving multi-natural hazards to be performed. The role that hybrid simulation has played in these developments and how its use has enabled a deeper understanding of structural system behavior under seismic and wind loading will be discussed. Examples include self-centering steel moment resisting frame systems, braced frame systems with nonlinear viscous, and tall buildings with outriggers that are outfitted with nonlinear viscous.