Stochastic Response of SDOF Self-Centering System

Abstract

As a new type of seismic resisting device, the self-centering system is attractive due to its excellent re-centering capability, but research on such a system under random seismic loadings is quite limited. In this paper, the stochastic response of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) self-centering system driven by a white noise process is investigated. For this purpose, the original self-centering system is first approximated by an auxiliary nonlinear system, in which the equivalent damping and stiffness coefficients related to the amplitude envelope of the response are determined by a harmonic balance procedure. Subsequently, by the method of stochastic averaging, the amplitude envelope of the response of the equivalent nonlinear stochastic system is approximated by a Markovian process. The associated Fokker–Plank–Kolmogorov (FPK) equation is used to derive the stationary probability density function (PDF) of the amplitude envelope in a closed form. The effects of energy dissipation coefficient and yield displacement on the response of system are examined using the stationary PDF solution. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) are used for ascertaining the accuracy of the analytical solutions.