Finite element model updating using bees algorithm

In this paper the application of bees algorithm (BA) in the finite element (FE) model updating of structures is investigated. BA is an optimization algorithm inspired by the natural foraging behavior of honeybees to find food sources. The weighted sum of the squared error between the measured and computed modal parameters is used as the objective function. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, BA is applied on a piping system to update several physical parameters of its FE model. To this end, the modal parameters of the numerical model are compared with the experimental ones obtained through modal testing. Moreover, to verify the performance of BA, it is compared with the genetic algorithm, the particle swarm optimization and the inverse eigensensitivity method. Comparison of the results indicates that BA is a simple and robust approach that could be effectively applied to the FE model updating problems.