Technical Paper
Recent Advances in Design Sensitivity Analysis and Its Use in Structural Design Process
1988-04-01
880783
This paper presents a summary of recently developed unified method of continum design sensitivity analysis of linear and nonlinear structural systems. Sizing design variables, such as thickness and cross sectional areas, and shape design variables, such as length and geometric shape, of structural components of built-up structures are considered. For design sensitivity analysis of nonlinear structures, both geometric and material nonlinearities are considered using the total and updated Lagrangian formulations. For sizing design variables, a distributed parameter structural design sensitivity analysis approach that retains the continum elasticity formulation throughout the derivation of design sensitivity analysis results is used. For shape design variables, the material derivative concept of continuum mechanics is used to relate variations in structural shape to measures of structural performance.