Optimal sensor placement for time-domain identification using a wavelet-based genetic algorithm

This paper presents a wavelet-based genetic algorithm strategy for optimal sensor placement (OSP) effective for time-domain structural identification. Initially, the GA-based fitness evaluation is significantly improved by using adaptive wavelet functions. Later, a multi-species decimal GA coding system is modified to be suitable for an efficient search around the local optima. In this regard, a local operation of mutation is introduced in addition with regeneration and reintroduction operators. It is concluded that different characteristics of applied force influence the features of structural responses, and therefore the accuracy of time-domain structural identification is directly affected. Thus, the reliable OSP strategy prior to the time-domain identification will be achieved by those methods dealing with minimizing the distance of simulated responses for the entire system and condensed system considering the force effects. The numerical and experimental verification on the effectiveness of the proposed strategy demonstrates the considerably high computational performance of the proposed OSP strategy, in terms of computational cost and the accuracy of identification. It is deduced that the robustness of the proposed OSP algorithm lies in the precise and fast fitness evaluation at larger sampling rates which result in the optimum evaluation of the GA-based exploration and exploitation phases towards the global optimum solution.