A hybrid method is presented for DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION employing combinatorial and algebraic graph theoretical algorithms. The method uses combinatorial graph theory for partial DECOMPOSITION, followed by a spectral bisection approach based on concepts from algebraic graph theory. Examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the mixed method. In this paper, the effects of nodal ordering on the performance of the spectral bisection and mixed method are investigated.

The following study deals with the updating the finite element model of structures using the operational modal analysis. The updating process uses an evolutionary optimization algorithm, namely bees algorithm which applies instinctive behavior of honeybees for finding food sources. To determine the uncertain updated parameters such as geometry and material properties of the structure, local and global sensitivity analyses have been performed. The sum of the squared errors between the natural frequencies obtained from operational modal analysis and the finite element method is used to define the objective function. The experimental natural frequencies are determined by frequency DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION technique which is considered as an efficient operational modal analysis method. To verify the accuracy of the proposed algorithm, it is implemented on a three-story structure to update its finite element model. Moreover, to study the efficiency of bees algorithm, its results are compared with those particle swarm optimization and Nelder and Mead methods. The results show that this algorithm leads more accurate results with faster convergence. In addition, modal assurance criterion is calculated for updated finite element model and frequency DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION technique. Moreover, finding the best locations of acceleration and shaker mounting in order to accurate experiments are explained.

The output data from a structure is the building block for output-only modal analysis. The structure response in the output data, however, is usually contaminated with noise. Naturally, the success of output-only methods in determining the modal parameters of a structure depends on noise level. In this paper, the possibility and accuracy of identifying the modal parameters of a simply supported beam in the presence of noise has been discussed. The output-only modal analysis method with frequency DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION was used and output data with various noise levels were considered. Initially, finite element modal analysis was used to determine the modal parameters for the beam which were afterwards enforced as the reference modal parameters. Then, appropriate input was applied to the beam and the acceleration signals of different nodes were produced through finite element transient analysis. In order to simulate noisy data, noises with different power levels were generated and added to the signals. Finally, the modal parameters were obtained by frequency DOMAIN DECOMPOSITION method. The results showed that the modal parameters corresponding to the first vibration mode could only be identified with acceptable validity at low to moderate noise levels, whereas for higher modes, the modal parameters can be correctly obtained even at high noise levels.