A GLOBAL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS IN STRUCTURAL MECHANICS

A methodology is developed to evaluate the response sensitivity of structural systems to variations in their design parameters. The sensitivity is evaluated by considering the global behavior of the system response when the parameters vary within a bounded region. The design parameters are characterized by means of baseline values plus fluctuating components, and the sensitivity of the system is measured in terms of the global variability of the response with respect to its baseline response. The methodology is then extended into the context of optimum redesign analysis of structural systems. Application of the method is made to a structural system defined by two-dimensional beam-column elements and to a system defined by plate elements. The numerical implementation of the global sensitivity approach is made by means of the finite element method. Several analyses are performed and the results are discussed. Finally, some extensions of the present work are presented.