An integrated parameter identification method combined with sensor placement design

Material parameter identification based on in situ measurements plays a very important role in engineering. Since noises are inevitable in measurements and the parameter identification is inherently ill posed, it is necessary to consider some methods to stabilize the identification procedure. One choice is properly designing the sensor placement, which has attracted much attention over the past 30 years. Most existing sensor placement design methods are based on certain sensitivity analysis, which commonly requires evaluating Jacobian matrix for given parameters. However, the ‘true’ values of parameters are unknown at that moment, because sensor placement design is carried out before the parameter identification. Consequently, roughly estimated ‘true’ parameters have to be used and less optimal sensor placement could be obtained. To solve this problem, this paper presents an integrated method in which the parameter identification and sensor placement design are carried out alternatively. The validity of the proposed method is illustrated by two simple academic examples. Then it is implemented to detect damages in a real highway bridge. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.