Abstract
Hysteresis is an important nonlinear effect exhibited by the Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) that is testified from experimental study. In order to interpret the characteristic accurately, various models were proposed previously, in which the Bouc-Wen model has gained more interest because of its capability to match a wide class of hysteretic systems. However the model consists of a set of differential equations where multi parameters present need to be estimated simultaneously. In view of this, the present study sets out to propose a more efficient Genetic Algorithm (GA) and a simplified Bouc-Wen model on the one hand, and on the other, the GA is applied to the model to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the parameter estimation. Finally a large number of experimental data are used to testify the proposed approach more efficient and accurate than the other conventional methods. Also suggested are the implications of the present study on other hysteretic models or other complex mathematical models.