Wind force estimation on a nonlinear seismic-isolated building by equivalent-input-disturbance method

Abstract

Seismic isolation is highly effective in safeguarding tall buildings against earthquake-induced forces. However, these structures remain vulnerable to strong winds that can induce nonlinear responses in the isolation layers. Accurate estimation of wind force time-histories is crucial for the analysis and design of such seismically isolated buildings, yet existing methods either inadequately capture environmental conditions or fail to consider structural nonlinearities. This study introduces the Equivalent-Input-Disturbance Method for Nonlinear Systems (EID-NS) to estimate wind force time-histories for a nonlinear mid-story isolated building based on wind-induced velocity responses. Comparative analysis with the standard EID approach demonstrates that EID-NS offers better accuracy in addressing nonlinear behaviors. The results confirm that EID-NS effectively captures wind forces acting on nonlinear isolated structures, providing a robust and reliable method for wind force estimation in complex structural systems.