Interval finite element method for dynamic response of closed-loop system with uncertain parameters

In practical engineering, it is difficult to obtain all possible solutions of dynamic responses with sharp bounds even if an optimum scheme is adopted where there are many uncertain parameters. In this paper, using the interval finite element (IFE) method and precise time integration (PTI) method, we discuss the dynamic response of vibration control problem of structures with interval parameters. With matrix perturbation theory and interval arithmetic, the algorithm for estimating upper and lower bounds of dynamic response of the closed-loop system is developed directly from the interval parameters. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the application of the present method. The example 1 is used to show the applicability of the present method. The example 2 is used to show the validity of the present method by comparing the results with those obtained by the classical random perturbation method. Copyright q 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd