Finite element dynamic model updating using modal thermoelastic field

The new thermoelastic acquisition systems allow the measurement of the full dilatation field which can be linked to the sum of the principal stresses. We are going to show in this paper the possibility of using this new kind of measurement in the modeling error updating: process. In particular, we suggest a method which allows to rebuild the complete stress and displacement fields for thin plate bending. The updating process split up into the modeling error location thanks to the constitutive law error or the residual forces and the correction with a sensitivity method. The approachs which have been developed, are based on the use of a mixed formulation and have been applied to the measurement carried out on a thin bending plate.