Deterministic-stochastic subspace identification method for identification of nonlinear structures as time-varying linear systems Babak Moaveni n , Eliyar Asgarieh Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA article info Article history: Received 1 September 2011 Received in revised form 20 February 2012 Accepted 9 March 2012 Available online 31 March 2012 Keywords: Nonlinear system identification Instantaneous modal parameters Deterministic-stochastic subspace identification method abstract This paper proposes the use of the deterministic-stochastic subspace identification (DSI) method, an input-output parametric linear system identification method, for characterization of nonlinear dynamic structural systems based on their time-varying amplitude-dependent instantaneous (i.e., based on short time-windows) modal para- meters. Performance of the DSI method for estimation of instantaneous modal parameters of nonlinear systems is investigated using numerical as well as experi- mental data. In this study, DSI is used for extracting instantaneous modal parameters of single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) as well as 7-DOF systems with different hysteretic material behavior. Nonlinear responses of the SDOF and 7-DOF systems are simulated due to different seismic excitations using the OpenSees structural analysis software. Modal identification results are compared with those obtained using wavelet transform and the exact values. Effects of four input factors are studied on the variability of identified instantaneous modal parameters: (1) type of material nonlinearity, (2) level of nonlinearity, (3) input excitation, and (4) length of data windows used in the identification. The accuracy of the identified instantaneous modal parameters is evaluated along the response time history while varying the above mentioned input factors. Overall, DSI outperforms the wavelet transform for short-time/instantaneous modal identification of nonlinear structural systems and provides reasonably accurate results especially when the material hysteretic behavior is smooth such as the considered Giuffre ´ -Menegotto-Pinto hysteretic model. Finally, DSI has been applied for short-time modal identification of a full-scale seven-story reinforced concrete shear wall structure based on its measured response to different seismic base excitations on a shake table. The identified instantaneous natural frequencies of the first vibration mode can accurately track the variation in the structure’s effective stiffness along its response. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Nonlinear system/structural identification is defined as development of structural models (not necessarily in the form of a physics-based model) using dynamic measurements in the presence of nonlinearity. Kerschen et al. [1] classified the nonlinear system identification methods in the literature into the following seven categories: time-domain methods, frequency-domain methods, time-frequency methods, methods that by-pass nonlinearity using linearization, modal methods, black-box methods, and structural model updating methods. Some researchers have had success identifying Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ymssp Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 0888-3270/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2012.03.004 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 617 627 5642; fax: þ1 617 627 3994. E-mail addresses: babak.moaveni@tufts.edu (B. Moaveni), eliyar.asgarieh@tufts.edu (E. Asgarieh). Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 31 (2012) 40–55