This paper introduces a new class of neural networks in complex space called Complex-valued Radial Basis Function (CRBF) neural networks and also an improved version of CRBF called Improved Complex-valued Radial Basis Function (ICRBF) neural networks. They are used for multiple crack identification in a cantilever beam in the frequency domain. The novelty of the paper is that, these complex-valued neural networks are first applied on inverse problems (damage identification) which come under the category of function approximation. The conventional CRBF network was used in the first stage of ICRBF network and in the second stage a reduced search space moving technique was employed for accurate crack identification. The effectiveness of proposed ICRBF neural network was studied first on a single crack identification problem and then applied to a more challenging problem of multiple crack identification in a cantilever beam with zero noise as well as 5% noise polluted signals. The results proved that, the proposed ICRBF and real-valued Improved RBF (IRBF) neural networks have identified the single and multiple cracks with less than 1% absolute mean percentage error as compared to conventional CRBF and RBF neural networks, mainly because of their second stage reduced search space moving technique. It appears that IRBF neural network is a good compromise considering all factors like accuracy, simplicity and computational effort. 
Improved Complex-valued Radial Basis Function (ICRBF) neural networks on multiple crack identification