Parameter identification of nonlinear structural systems through frequency response sensitivity analysis

Nonlinearity is ubiquitously encountered in structural systems, and it may have a great and complicated influence on the dynamic behaviours, including bifurcation, internal resonance, load history dependence, etc. Identifying the nonlinear system parameters is essential for analysis and design of the structure. To this end, a new approach is developed in this paper for nonlinear system parameter identification from frequency response sensitivity analysis. At first, the harmonic balance equation is established to govern the frequency response of the nonlinear system, upon which the frequency response and sensitivity analysis can be conducted. A remarkable feature is that the harmonic balance equation is algebraic so that the sensitivity analysis, pertaining to a linearized equation, is rather simple and straightforward. Then, parameter identification is modelled as a nonlinear least-squares problem, and the sensitivity approach is adopted in conjunction with the trust-region constraint for convergent solution. Numerical examples are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of the proposed approach.