Configuration Design Sensitivity Analysis of Nonlinear Structural Systems with Elastic Material*

ABSTRACT

A continuum-based design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method is presented for configuration design of nonlinear structural systems using Mindlin plate and Tim-oshenko beam theories. Both displacement and critical load performance measures are considered. Configuration design variables are characterized by shape and orientation changes of structural components. The material derivative that is used to develop the continuum-based shape DSA method is extended to account for effects of configuration design variation. The piecewise linear design velocity field, i.e., C⁰-regular, is used to support configuration design changes for a broad class of built-up structures with beams and plates. To allow use of the C⁰-design velocity field, mathematical models of beam and plate bending must be second-order partial differential equations, so that only first-order derivatives appear in the integrand of the energy equation and, thus, in the integrand of the configuration design sensitivity expression. Since the Mindlin plate and Timoshenko beam theories use displacement and rotation to describe structural response, mathematical models of beam and plate bending are reduced to second-order partial differential equations. The isoparametric finite element formulations are used for numerical evaluation of continuum design sensitivity expressions.