Sensor placement on bridge structure based on genetic algorithms with different fitness functions

Three fitness functions were designed from the mode orthogonality and the modal energy, and they were used to the improved genetic algorithm and the single parent genetic algorithm. A 2-step method was proposed to determine the number and the location of the sensors on the large-span bridge structures. According to the comparative analyses of these 2 algorithms, 3 fitness functions and the effective independence algorithm applied to the large-span arch bridge, the single parent genetic algorithm appeared more suitable to the sensor placement problem than the improved genetic algorithm, and the fitness function designed by the combined evaluation criteria was more reasonable than the one designed by the single evaluation criterion. The effectireness of the 2-step method for the placement of the sensors on the bridge structure is proved.