A control perspective on parametric uncertainty of building structures: A literature study

This paper considers a systematic literature search for dynamic parameter uncertainties identified in real buildings exposed to ambient temperature variations and earthquake events. Moreover, the same search approach was used for parametric uncertainties employed within the broader field of building structural control, when investigating the robustness of mass damper appendices. It was frequency and damping uncertainties that were particularly sought within studied cases, allowing for several insights to be drawn. It was shown that the lack of consensus onto selecting realistic values of structural uncertainty often leads researchers to inappropriate selected ranges in their parametric evaluations. This was more clearly observed for the case of damping uncertainty. Damping values, previously selected, were found to deviate significantly from the ones measured on actual buildings; the latter were also insufficiently reported compared to their frequency equivalents. Ultimately, this work provides reference to an evidence-based record towards selecting parametric uncertainties for different scenarios and applications of structural dynamics in building engineering, paving the way towards more data-informed design(s).