Pseudo Dynamic Testing Methodology and an Application

Pseudo dynamic testing methodology which aims to simulate the earthquake behavior of specimens consists of both numerical and experimental analyses in an interactive manner. The dynamic equilibrium equation is generated with the restoring forces measured from the specimen and the predefined mass and viscous damping properties. The displacement vector to be applied to the specimen in the next step is calculated by a proper numerical integration technique. Due to application of the loading function in a quasi-static manner, local, behavior and damage propagation of the test structure could be traced. The pseudo-dynamic testing algorithm developed for single-degree-of-freedom systems was used in the tests of reinforced concrete frames.