Approximate Reanalysis Techniques with Substructuring

A simple approximate reanalysis technique is presented for use in the automated (optimum) design of large and complex structures. The technique is based on the use of the reduced basis method in conjunction with substructuring approach. The displacement vector of the modified structure is approximated by a linear combination of a normalized set of s first-order sensitivity analysis vectors, where s is the number of design variables. Consideration is focused on the potential advantages of the reduced basis - substructuring technique for use in automated design systems. The high accuracy of the proposed technique for sizable changes in the design variables is demonstrated by means of a numerical example of a large transmission tower. Also, comparison is made with Taylor expansion method based on the reciprocal variables.