An adaptive loading test on collapse mechanism formation of multi-story steel frames subjected to uncertain lateral load pattern

An adaptive loading system is developed to examine a design point of multi-story steel test frames subjected to uncertain load pattern. Lateral loads are given as a random combination of basic load patterns, and the system drives a test frame to the most likely failure situation. Two-story steel moment resisting frames are tested considering a failure mechanism formation of plastic collapse as a tentative limit state. A random 2-dof lateral force is given by a random combination of two basic load patterns, which are arranged to represent elastic earthquake load effects. Hybrid design point search or adaptive loading tests on the 2-story frame are performed, and the detected likely failure mechanisms are compared with the results of pseudo-dynamic response tests to deterministic excitations.