DYNAMIC-RESPONSE SENSITIVITY OF INELASTIC STRUCTURES

A general finite element solution method for the dynamic response sensitivity of inelastic structures is developed. Employing a direct differentiation method, the gradient equation of motion is solved without iteration and by taking advantage of the available solution of the response. Special attention is given to sensitivities with respect to inelastic material parameters and detailed derivations are made for the J2 plasticity model with a linear hardening rule. The method can be applied to any other inelastic material model that has an analytically defined yield function and flow rule. The formulation is easily incorporated in existing finite element codes. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method.