Arici, Yalin; Mosalam, Khalid M.
UCB/EERC-2006/02, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 2006-05-23, 240 p. (400 E177 2006-02)
Strong motion data from several bridges in California are analyzed using different System Identification (SI) methods to assess the state-of-the-art in modal identification methods applied to bridges. To assess the effect of increasing the number and configuration of sensors in acceleration recording arrays on bridges, a finite element simulation model of a large bridge system is used to generate "virtual" seismic acceleration data. A framework of sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulations is then developed to formulate robust computational procedures for obtaining confidence intervals of identified modal parameters for the purposes of selecting reliable SI parameters. The results challenge the acceptability, utility, and reliability of using all SI results for modal analysis of bridges.