The identification of the stiffness properties of typical laminated composi
te tubes from dynamic tests is presented. Unknown coefficients are identifi
ed by a technique of model updating. The formulation is based on the minimi
zation of the eigensolution residuals (sensitivity method). Errors of gener
alized masses are considered. The technique allows for the simultaneous ide
ntification of several properties from a single test. Stiffness properties
of extension, bending/twisting and transverse shear are identified. Importa
nt points of the model updating of tubes in dynamics are addressed: potenti
al energy evaluation, placement of sensors and the problem of multiple eige
nvalues. Results obtained by numerical simulation show the efficiency of th
e proposed method.