No abstract

A method for the parameter estimation of structures was d~veloped in a companion pape~. It used subsets of static applied forces and strain measurements and successfully Identified structural element stlffnesses. In the presence of noisy measurements, the selection of these s~b~ts drastically affect the accu~acy of the parameter estimates. In addition, there are a large number of combmatlons of~pplied force and stram measurements to be considered. Therefore, a heuristic method is presented for choosmg a small subset of forces and strain measurements so as to have the least sensitivity to measurement noise. Once chosen, using a Monte Carlo analysis the subset of measurements is analyzed to determine an input-out~ut err~r relationship. This h.euri~tic method can be used to design near-optimal experiments for the nondestructIve testing and parameter estimatIOn of structures. A truss and a frame example are presented and a small and noise-tolerant subset of forces and strains is successfully selected for possible nondestructive testing.