Importance of in situ experimental testing in estimation of seismic stability of structures and implementation in structural health monitoring

The paper gives a common presentation of the most popular testing methods, procedures and sensors related to in situ full scale experimental testing of structures for definition of their dynamic characteristics. These structural properties are necessary for reliable estimation of seismic stability when structures are located in seismically active regions. The importance of such testing becomes even greater when sophisticated non-linear methods for analysis are used to check structural stability, as well as when an investigation requires verification by shaking table testing of representative scaled models. The implementation of the obtained results by in situ testing in structural health monitoring concept for a particular structure enables consideration of the dynamic properties and their changes over time as a useful indication in definition of the behavior of the structure and, if the structure is in a seismic active region, identification of damage occurence during earthquakes.