This article describes a structural system identification approach for the characterization of a novel retrofitting textile, the “Composite Seismic Wallpaper.” This polymeric textile was developed within the EU co‐funded project Polytect as a full coverage method for increasing the seismic resistance of masonry structures. Recently, the wallpaper has been full‐scale tested, on a two storey building, at the Eucentre (Pavia) as part of the Seismic Engineering Research Infrastructures for European Synergies (SERIES) program. In this article, an advanced multistage identification methodology is proposed for the successful simulation of this novel material based on the results of the extensive experimental campaign. The identification is essentially formulated as an inverse problem that combines a Genetic Algorithm (GA) as the optimizer and a finite element (FE) model as the physical model of the structure. The aim is material characterization and modeling of the dynamic response of the structure; an issue which is nontrivial due to the intrinsic complexities associated with both masonry and polymers. The process outlined herein is successful in yielding a calibrated model that can more accurately capture the experimentally observed behavior of this three‐dimensional full‐scale test case.
Monitoring the performance of any structure requires real-time measurements of the change of position of critical points. Different techniques can be used for this purpose, each one offering advantages and disadvantages. The technique based on satellite positioning systems (GPS, GLONASS and the future GALILEO) seems to be very promising at least for long period structures. The GPS in particular provides sampling rates that are able to track dynamic displacements with high accuracy. Its service ability is independent of atmospheric conditions, temperature variations and visibility of the monitored object. This paper investigates the reliability and accuracy of the measurements of dual frequency GPS receivers. A linear electromagnetic motor moves an object along a given direction. The changes of position are compared with their estimates as recorded by a GPS receiver, whose antenna is located on the reference object. The comparison is based on suffi ciently long records.
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