| Abstract: | A method is presented to obtain the exact complex-valued eigenproperties of a classically damped structure and equipment system. The non-classically damped character of the combined system as well as the effect of dynamic interaction between primary structure and equipment are properly included in the calculation of these eigenproperties. It is necessary only to know the classical modal properties of the structure and, of course, the equipment characteristics. The eigenvalues are obtained as the solution of a non-linear equation which can be easily solved by the Newton–Raphson algorithm. Once the eigenvalues are known, the corresponding eigenvectors are obtained from simple closed-form expressions. The method can be used equally effectively with light as well as heavy equipment. Numerical results demonstrating the effectiveness of the method are presented. A procedure which utilizes the complex-valued eigenproperties is developed for calculating the floor response spectra directly from the ground spectra. Numerical results of floor response spectra obtained from this procedure are presented. The floor spectra calculated by this approach include the structure–equipment interaction effect. |
