Inverse Problems for an Euler-Bernoulli Beam: Identification of Bending Rigidity and External Loads

We present a method for identifying the flexural rigidity and external loads acting on a beam using the finite-element method. We used mixed beam elements possessing transverse deflection and the bending moment as the primary degrees of freedom. The first step is to determine the bending moment from the transverse deflection and boundary conditions. The second step is to substitute the bending moment into the final equations with respect to the unknown parameters (flexural rigidity or external load). The final step solves the resulting system of equations. We apply this method to some inverse beam problems and provide an accurate estimation. Several numerical examples are performed and show that present method gives excellent results for identifying bending stiffness and distributed load of beam.