DOI: https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2013.17
Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/944
Date of Award
3-2013
Degree Name
MS in Architecture - Architectural Engineering
Department/Program
Architecture
Advisor
Graham Archer, Cole McDaniel, John Lawson
Abstract
The Bridge House is a steel building structure located in Poly Canyon, a rural area inside the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The Bridge House is a one story steel structure supported on 4 concrete piers with a lateral force resisting system (LFRS) composed of ordinary moment frames in the N-S direction and braced frames in the E-W direction and vertically supported by a pair of trusses. The dynamic response of the Bridge House was investigated by means of system identification through ambient and forced vibration testing. Interesting findings such as diaphragm flexibility, foundation flexibility and frequency shifts due to thermal effects were all found throughout the mode shape mapping process. Nine apparent mode shapes were experimentally identified, N-S and E-W translational, rotational and 6 vertical modes. A computational model was also created and refined through correlation with the modal parameters obtained through FVTs. When compared to the experimental results, the computational model estimated the experimentally determined building period within 8% and 10% for both N-S and E-W translational modes and within 10% for 4 of the vertical modes.