Multiple force identification for complex structures

This paper presents a method for determining force histories using experimentally measured responses. It is based on a recursive reformulation of the governing equations in conjunction with a general finite element program, this latter aspect making it applicable to complex structures. It can determine multiple isolated (uncorrelated) force histories as well as distributed pressures and tractions and allows for the data collected to be of dissimilar type. As a demonstration of the method and of its scalability, force reconstructions for an impacted shell and an impacted plate are determined using accelerometer and strain gage data.