Optimal design of adaptive structures: Part I. Remodeling for impact reception

Abstract

The paper (written in two parts) is devoted to the presentation of numerical tools, based on the so-called virtual distortion method (VDM) for fast structural reanalysis and to the application of this tools for optimal design of adaptive structures exposed to impact loads. The first paper deals with fast modifications of the material distribution (coupled stiffness and mass redistribution) in dynamically loaded structures, which allows their optimal remodeling, e.g., to minimize average deflections. The VDM-based approach allows analytical sensitivity determination, which is very helpful in efficient implementation of the optimization procedure, utilized to solve the defined remodeling problem. The presented methodology is illustrated with a numerical example of truss–beam structure exposed to random impact loads.