Modal parameters estimation of building structures from vibration test data using observability measurement

The load distribution to each mode of a structure under seismic loading depends on the modal participation factors and mode shapes and thus the exact estimation of modal participation factors and mode shapes is essential to analyze the seismic response of a structure. In this study, an identification procedure for modal participation factors and mode shapes from a vibration test is proposed. The modal participation factors and mode shapes are obtained from the relationship between observability matrices realized from the system identification. Using the observability matrices, it is possible to transform an arbitrarily identified state space model obtained from the experimental data into a state space model which is defined in a domain with physical meaning. Then, the modal participation factor can be estimated based on the transformation matrix between two state space models. The numerical simulation is performed to evaluate the proposed procedure, and the results show that the modal participation factor and mode shapes are estimated from the structural responses accurately. The procedure is also applied to the experimental data obtained from the shaking table test of a three-story shear building model.