This paper investigates the efficiency of three surrogate model-based dynamic finite element model updating methods, the response surface, the support vector regression, and the radial basis function neural network, using the engineering background of the Tsing Ma Bridge tower. The influences of two different sampling methods (central composite design sampling and Box–Behnken design sampling) on the model updating results are also assessed. It was deduced that the impact of the surrogate model type on the updating results is not significant. More precisely, the models updated using the response surface method and the support vector regression method are similar in terms of reproducing the dynamic characteristics of the physical truth. However, the effects of the employed sampling method on the model updating results are significant as the model updating quality using the central composite design sampling method is higher than that using the Box–Behnken design sampling method in some considered cases.

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