Application of model updating to a large‐scale hybrid simulation

Abstract Model updating can enhance hybrid simulation by utilizing the experimental data from the physically tested substructure to update the parameters of like‐components in the numerical substructure throughout the test, improving the overall accuracy and reducing the extent of the experimental setup. Identifying and updating parameters can be challenging, especially when coupling between degrees of freedom (DOF) must be considered or the specimen experiences loading scenarios which result in newly observed behavior. To explore the performance of model updating under these challenging conditions, a large‐scale hybrid simulation was conducted using a model of a major toll bridge with seismic isolation lead rubber bearings (LRB). One LRB is physically tested considering axial, shear, and rotational loading, while the remainder of the bearings are simulated and updated with a phenomenological model within the numerical substructure. A weighted adaptive constrained unscented Kalman filter is applied as the online model updating algorithm. The study explored the effect of learning over different loading patterns, the selection of initial model parameters, and the selection of the physically tested substructure. The improvement of numerical model hysteresis performance accuracy of the force prediction demonstrates the benefits of model updating in large‐scale hybrid simulation.