CEE511 – Structural Dynamics

Winter Semester 2005-2006

Homework #4
(Due February 20, 2006)

Single Degree of Freedom Systems – Harmonic Excitations

1. Chopra Problem 3.5

2. Chopra Problem 3.6

3. Chopra Problem 3.11

4. You are hired by the City of Los Angeles to analyze the integrity of a simple frame structure
located in close proximity to a branch of the San Andreas fault which has historically emitted
near perfect harmonic ground excitations when ruptured. After consulting with a local
geologist, she tells you that for the next earthquake, you should consider the following three
ground acceleration functions as possible:

ag(t) = 20sin5t (the units are in/sec2)

ag(t) = 5 sin10t
ag(t) = 10sin10t

The structure is a heavy fat concrete slab supported by 4 steel beams at its corners. The
stiffness of each column is determined to be 25 kips/in while the concrete slab is analytically
determined to be 1 kip-sec/in2:

u(t)

m= 1 kip sec/in2

Drywall Steel
Partition Column

The drywall is placed within the frame to separate the vast upon spaces of the structure.
While its placement is not intended to add strength to the frame structure in resisting the
imposed ground motions, the drywall’s crushing represents structural damping. Your vast
engineering experience suggests this damping would be in the vicinity of 20%.
 Which ground motion controls the design of the structure? In other words, which applied
ground motion produces the greatest steady-state relative displacement of the frame (in
relation to the ground motion)? Please provide MATLAB plots to support your answers!

5. You’re a PhD student at the University of Michigan and work extensively in the Civil and
Environmental Engineering Department’s state-of-the-art structural laboratory. You have
interest in testing a new column which you have designed and are considering patenting.
Using an actuator, you apply a harmonic load to the top of the concrete column with a
driving frequency of 10 rad/sec (you believe this is likely the natural frequency of the
column). After a few cycles, you observed the following force-displacement history of the
concrete column.

p(t)

390 lb

Concrete 0.15 in
Column

Ed = 26 lb-in

Based on your experiment, what is the stiffness (k), damping ratio (ξ) and damping
coefficient (c) of your column?

Because of the impressive damping properties of your column, you are considering using the
column in the first story of concrete structures located in seismic areas of the world so as to
isolate the upper stories from harmonic ground motions. If the column represents a
phenomenal increase in damping, would you use it in a structure whose natural period is Tn=
1 sec? The potential ground motions from a local earthquake are known to be approximately
harmonic with a driving frequency of f = 2 Hz. Explain your answer.