Displacement Time Histories by Direct Numerical Integration of Acceleration Data

Abstract

Acceleration measurements often provide the engineer with a means by which to determine the forces within dynamic structural systems. However for certain problems, information about the structural motion, the displacement-time history, may also be of interest. One such application deals with the evaluation of stiffness in reinforced concrete structures during seismic events. Scaled model tests of these events suggest that the stiffness of these structures often degrades drastically. The displacement response of these seismic events are required both for the development and evaluation of postulated structural stiffness models. This paper discusses the processing of acceleration data from scaled model tests to obtain displacement-time histories for low aspect shear walls subject to simulated seismic loadings. Displacement histories obtained in the time domain are compared with those produced using a frequency domain system identification analysis.