A New Interval Finite Element Method: Computational Issues

This paper deals with finite element analysis of linear structures with uncertain parameters modeled as interval variables. Uncertainties are handled by means of the improved interval analysis via extra unitary interval which enables to keep track of the dependencies between interval variables and thus reduce overestimation affecting both the assembly and solution phases of finite element procedures. Approximate explicit expressions of the bounds of the interval displacements are derived by applying the so-called Interval Rational Series Expansion. The computational efficiency of the method is enhanced by performing a preliminary sensitivity analysis to identify the most influential parameters on the selected response quantity. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed procedure.