A structural damage identification method based on genetic algorithm and vibrational data

The problem of damage identification in framed structures using vibrational data is considered. The identification problem is modelled as an optimization task and the use of measured natural frequencies as well as modeshape information in the construction of objective functions is discussed. In a first attempt, a standard genetic algorithm is shown to be ineffective in obtaining the correct damage distribution in test problems. Using domain knowledge, modifications are introduced in the coding process, in the initial population generation, in the fitness function, and in the genetic operators, leading to a promising tool to solve this class of problems. Synthetic problems, with the addition of noise in the simulated measured data associated with the damaged structure, are analysed in order to assess the capability of the proposed technique. Copyright q 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd