An overview of seismic hybrid testing of engineering structures

An overview of research on the development of the hybrid test method is presented. The maturity of thehybrid test method is mapped in order to provide context to individual research in the overall develop-ment of the test method. In the pseudo dynamic (PsD) test method, the equations of motion are solvedusing a time stepping numerical integration technique with the inertia and damping being numericallymodelled whilst restoring force is physically measured over an extended timescale. Developments incontinuous PsD testing led to the real-time hybrid test method and geographically distributed hybridtests. A key aspect to the efficiency of hybrid testing is the substructuring technique where the criticalstructural subassemblies that are fundamental to the overall response of the structure are physicallytested whilst the remainder of the structure whose response can be more easily predicted is numericallymodelled. Much of the early research focused on developing the accuracy and efficiency of the testmethod, whereas more recently the method has matured to a level where the test method is appliedpurely as a dynamic testing technique. Developments in numerical integration methods, substructuring,experimental error reduction, delay compensation and speed of testing have led to a test method now inuse as full-scale real-time dynamic testing method that is reliable, accurate, efficient and cost effective