Keywords: damage identification, model updating, structural dynamics, inverse problems.

This chapter is devoted to the description of several methods found in the literature that were developed and applied to solve the problem of structural damage identification. Since there is a considerable scientific and technical interest in its resolution, the number and variety of methods developed by different researchers over the years is very high. This interest is attested by the large number of bibliographic reviews and technical reports dedicated to this subject. The existence of such a large body of work is connected, among other reasons, to the non availability of a universal method which can be applied to all kinds of structures and damages types.

The survey begins with publications that directly use structural dynamic characteristics, such as natural frequencies and antiresonances, mode shapes and frequency response functions (FRF). Methods which use flexibility or compliance and damping are subsequently addressed. Model updating methods are also surveyed, since they are deeply related to damage identification. Indeed, such methods can be viewed as damage identification methods by considering that the numerical data (for instance, the finite element model results) and the experimental data are, respectively, the undamaged and damaged structure dynamic characteristics.

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