Structural damage detection based on MAC flexibility and frequency using moth-flame algorithm

Vibration-based structural damage detection through optimization algorithms and minimization of objective function has recently become an interesting research topic. Application of various objective functions as well as optimization algorithms may affect damage diagnosis quality. This paper proposes a new damage identification method using Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO). MFO is a nature-inspired algorithm based on moth\'s ability to navigate in dark. Objective function consists of a term with modal assurance criterion flexibility and natural frequency. To show the performance of the said method, two numerical examples including truss and shear frame have been studied. Furthermore, Los Alamos National Laboratory test structure was used for validation purposes. Finite element model for both experimental and numerical examples was created by MATLAB software to extract modal properties of the structure. Mode shapes and natural frequencies were contaminated with noise in above mentioned numerical examples. In the meantime, one of the classical optimization algorithms called particle swarm optimization was compared with MFO. In short, results obtained from numerical and experimental examples showed that the presented method is efficient in damage identification.