Comparing closed loop control models and mass-spring-damper models for human structure interaction problems

Abstract

The interaction between human and structure can produce significant dynamic effects. This has been demonstrated in several occasions including the closing of the Millennium bridge in London shortly after being open to traffic. Models based on springs, dampers and lumped masses have been widely accepted by the scientific community to model the human in human-structure interaction (HSI) problems. Recently, models of the human body based on control theory have been proposed. This paper provides a comparison between two traditional models using spring, dampers and lumped masses and those using control theory. The models are updated in a probabilistic sense using Bayesian inference. The experimental data used for the comparison is obtained from a laboratory test structure specially designed for HSI studies.