ABSTRACT
It is possible to demonstrate that mode curvature variation is strongly related with the damage occurred on a structure (Pandey et al., 1991). To apply the proposed procedure it is necessary to focus the attention on three most important instants for a structure subjected to an earthquake: (A) before the earthquake, (B) the instant of maximum inter-storey drift and (C) after the earthquake. Comparing the mode shapes characteristics evaluated in the instant A, B and C it is possible to unserstand if damage occurred after the earthquake and to localize it on the structure. The instant A is the reference instant and it is necessary to compare the difference in terms of mode curvature between B-A and C-A. The example is related to a 1:4 reinforced concrete scaled experimental model, designed for vertical loads only and tested at the Structural Laboratory of the University of Basilicata in Potenza, as part of the POP project (Dolce et al. 2005), through the mono-axial shaking table test.
