Abstract
SUMMARYSeismic assessment of existing buildings is needed in many cases: change in construction usage (change in applied loads), undesirable construction quality, disparity between standard specimen and technical specification of design, absence of construction plans and modification of codes. Seismic assessment is the first step towards rehabilitation of constructions or other schemes to decrease damages and personal injuries. In this regard, engineers should be able to precisely estimate effective parameters on seismic behaviour, to utilize them in mathematical modelling of structures for increasing their reliability. This aim can be achieved by destructive or non‐destructive tests (NDT). In this paper, NDTs for estimating static and dynamic characteristics of reinforced concrete structures are reviewed. Finally, two essential dynamic NDTs, forced vibration method and ambient vibration method, are discussed in detail, and are proposed for seismic assessment in all kinds of structures. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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