Material characterization for dynamic simulation of non-homogeneous structural members

Generally, simulation of non-homogeneous materials requires a homogeneous representation with equivalent properties different from the constitutive elements. Determination of the equivalent properties for dynamic simulation is not always a direct and straightforward calculation, as they have to represent, not only the static reactions, but also the dynamic behavior, which depends on a more complex relation of the geometrical (area, inertia moment), mechanical (elastic modulus) and physical (density) properties. In this context, the Direct Sensitivity Method (DSM) is developed to calibrate structural parameters of a finite element model using a priori information with an inverse parameter identification scheme, where parameters are optimized through an error sensitivity function using experimental data with the dynamic responses of the model. Results demonstrate that parameters of materials can be calibrated efficiently from the DSM and that key aspects for this calibration are noise, sensitivity (structural and sensor), and the finite element model representation.