Real-time pseudodynamic testing of steel structures equipped with passive dampers

This paper presents the implementation of state space control design for the real-time pseudo-dynamic (PSD) testing of load-rate dependent structures. A linearized state space model with three physically measurable states per structural degree of freedom is used in the controller design. The simulation model with relevant dynamics and nonlinearities is used to evaluate the performance of the controller and the PSD integration algorithm under realistic testing conditions. The state space controller is shown to achieve accurate results. A feed forward component is shown to improve the solution but not required to stabilize the process when the test structure is heavily damped.