ON THE ACCURACY OF AN IMPLICIT ALGORITHM FOR PSEUDODYNAMIC TESTS

The error‐propagation characteristics of an implicit time integration algorithm in pseudodynamic testing are examined. It is shown that the implicit algorithm is superior to explicit integration algorithms in terms of experimental error amplification. The influence of systematic experimental errors is studied and methods for controlling these errors are examined. In spite of the fact that the implicit algorithm is unconditionally stable, it is shown that the integration time interval in a pseudodynamic test is limited by the calibration range of the electronic hardware as well as the degree of participation of the higher modes. Furthermore, the tolerance for experimental errors decreases as the integration time interval increases. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd