Investigation of structural responses and dynamic characteristics of a supertall building during Typhoon Kompasu

In this paper, comprehensive field measurements were conducted on a 600-m-high skyscraper in Shenzhen during Typhoon Kompasu based on structural health monitoring (SHM) system and a remotely non-contact interferometric radar system called IBIS-FS. The SHM system recorded wind field and structural responses, including accelerations at 10 building heights by accelerometers and horizontal displacements atop the building by global positioning system (GPS). Meanwhile, the IBIS-FS simultaneously measured the horizontal displacements of the building at multiple heights. This is the first time that the interferometric radar system, i.e., IBIS-FS, is applied to the displacement monitoring of a supertall building under typhoon conditions. The effectiveness of the IBIS-FS is verified through comparing the building responses measured by the IBIS-FS with those measured by the SHM system. Then, based on the field-measured responses, the mean, background, and resonant responses of the monitored supertall building are extracted and analyzed; and the amplitude dependencies and time-varying characteristics of the structural modal parameters (i.e., natural frequencies and damping ratios) are presented and discussed. The results show that the IBIS-FS can provide convenient and accurate displacement measurements of the skyscraper under severe weather conditions. This paper aims to provide useful information for SHM and wind-resistant design of supertall buildings in tropical cyclone-prone regions. • Conduct measurements on a 600-m-tall building by accelerometers, GPS and an interferometric radar system during a typhoon. • Analyse the mean, background, and resonant responses of the skyscraper. • Explore amplitude dependencies and time-varying features of structural modal parameters. • Provide useful information for structural health monitoring and wind-resistant design of high-rise buildings.