EXACT BLOCK DIAGONALIZATION OF LARGE EIGENVALUE PROBLEMS FOR STRUCTURES WITH SYMMETRY

We consider large eigenvalue problems for skeletal structures with symmetry. We present an algorithm, based upon a novel combination of group-theoretic ideas and substructuring techniques, that block-diagonalizes such systems exactly and efficiently. The procedure requires only the structural matrices of a repeating substructure, together with the symmetry modes, which are obtained from symmetry considerations alone. We first present a simple paradigmatic example and then follow with several non-trivial applications involving large lattice structures.