Finite element (FE)model updating technique belongs to the class of inverse problems in classicalmechanics. According to the continuum damage mechanics, damage is represented by a reduction factor of the element bending stiffness. In this study, a global optimizationmethod called ‘Coupled Local Minimizers’ (CLM) is used for updating the finite element model of a complex structure. In CLM, the l...

This chapter presents the Nelder–Mead simplex method and the Broyden– Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) method for finite-element-model updating. The methods presented have been tested on a simple beam and an unsymmetrical H-shaped structure. It was noted that, on average, the Nelder–Mead simplex method gives more accurate results than did the BFGS method. This is mainly because the BFGS method r...

In this paper, the application of stochastic global optimization techniques, in particular the GlobalSearch and MultiStart solvers from MatLab, to improve the updating of a structural dynamic model, are presented. For comparative purposes, the efficiency of these global methods relatively to the local search method previously used in a Finite Element Model Updating program is evaluated. The obt...