Damage detection and model refinement using elemental stiffness perturbations with constrained connectivity

A new optimal update method for the correlation of dynamic structural finite element models with modal data is presented. The method computes a minimum-rank solution for the perturbations of the elemental stiffness parameters while constraining the connectivity of the global stiffness matrix. The resulting model contains a more accurate representation of the dynamics of the test structure. The changes between the original model and the updated model can be interpreted as modeling errors or as changes in the structure resulting from damage. The motivation for the method is presented in the context of existing optimal matrix update procedures. The method is demonstrated numerically on a spring-mass system and is also applied to experimental data from the NASA Langley 8-bay truss damage detection experiment. The results demonstrate that the proposed procedure may be useful for updating elemental stiffness parameters in the context of damage detection and model refinement