Method for Separating Measured Structural Responses of Real-World Structures Using Their Multi-timescale Characteristics

To investigate the influence of various loads on the structural responses of engineering structures, this study proposed a novel method for separating the structural response components in real-world engineering structures based on multi-timescale characteristics, with particular emphasis on addressing nonlinear and transient phenomena. In contrast to conventional methods that are primarily limited to linear and stationary signal decomposition, the proposed technique enables synchronous and highly accurate extraction of both slowly varying and transient components from nonlinear responses. Validation using field monitoring data from the shell structure of the Zhuhai Grand Theater during two typhoon events confirmed the method’s effectiveness in handling real-world, nonlinear structural responses, which can demonstrate clear advantages over traditional methods in capturing complex dynamic behaviors under strong environmental loads.