Vertex solution theorem for the upper and lower bounds on the dynamic response of structures with uncertain-but-bounded parameters

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of uncertain-but-bounded parameters on the dynamic response of structures. By combining the interval mathematics and the finite element analysis, the mass matrix, damping matrix, stiffness matrix and the external loads are represented as interval matrices and vector. With the help of the optimization theory, we present the vertex solution theorem for determining both the exact upper bounds or maximum values and the exact lower bounds or minimum values of the dynamic response of structures, in which these parameters reach their extreme values on the boundary of the interval mass, damping, stiffness matrices and the interval external loads vector. Three examples are used to illustrate the computational aspects of the presented vertex solution theorem. The project supported by the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation of China (10425208) and 111 Project (B07009) FanZhou Science and Research Foundation for Young Scholars (No. 20080503).