Developed Model-Updating Technique for Structures Equipped with Various Supplemental Dampers

Recent advancements in structural engineering have driven the development of sophisticated damping mechanisms aimed at reducing the detrimental effects of structural vibrations. As a result, accurate numerical modeling and analytical evaluation have become essential for assessing structural stability and enhancing seismic resilience. This study introduces a model-updating framework to develop analytical constitutive models for structural damping systems. The proposed approach employs a genetic algorithm (GA) to calibrate model parameters by minimizing the discrepancy between analytical predictions and experimental responses. Experimental force–displacement hysteresis data and displacement time-history records are used at both the element and system levels for model calibration. The methodology is applied to a rubber isolator, a 10-story structure equipped with Pall friction dampers, and a 6-story structure with friction dampers to evaluate its performance under different dynamic characteristics and damping mechanisms. The results indicate that the proposed approach achieves very high accuracy, with prediction errors reduced to negligible levels for both force and displacement responses in all cases. Consistent performance is observed using both global and local displacement measures in friction-damped systems, indicating the robustness of the proposed method. Overall, the findings indicate that the GA-based model-updating framework provides an efficient and reliable tool for improving the predictive capability of analytical models of structures with nonlinear damping devices and is suitable for practical structural engineering applications.