A sensitivity-based approach for the dynamic analysis of structures with uncertain-but-bounded parameters

The paper addresses the dynamic analysis of structures with uncertain-but-bounded material properties subjected to deterministic dynamic loads. The main purpose of the analysis is the evaluation of the bounds of stress time-history. A sensitivity-based approach is adopted in the context of finite element analysis to detect suitable combinations of the endpoints of the uncertain parameters for estimating the bounds of the stress field. To reduce the computational burden, the concept of pseudo-static sensitivity is exploited. Furthermore, only two combinations over the whole time-interval of interest are identified as the most common ones among those detected at each time instant. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed approach through comparison with the results provided by the classical combinatorial procedure. © Proceedings of ISMA 2018 - International Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering and USD 2018 - International Conference on Uncertainty in Structural Dynamics