Famine Algorithm and Pseudo-Kinetic Energy for Structural Damage Detection

In this study, a novel damage detection framework for skeletal structures is presented. The introduced scheme is based on the optimization-based model updating method. A new multipopulation framework, namely, the Famine Algorithm, is introduced that hopes to reduce the number of objective function evaluations needed. Furthermore, using static displacement patterns, a damage-sensitive feature named pseudo-kinetic energy is presented. By exploiting the new feature, an efficient cost function is developed. Two mathematical benchmark problems and a two-membered truss for damage detection problem are depicted in 2D space to track the search behavior of the Famine Algorithm and show the changes in the search space when using the new feature. Four numerical examples, including three trusses and a frame structure, are used to evaluate the overall performance of the proposed damage detection methods. Moreover, an experimental shear frame is studied to test the performance of the suggested method in real-life problems. The obtained results of the examples reveal that the proposed method can identify and quantify the damaged elements accurately by only utilizing the first five vibrating modes, even in noise-contaminated conditions.