Sensitivity analysis for dynamic mechanical systems with finite rotations

This paper presents a sensitivity analysis for dynamic systems with large rotations using a semi-analytical direct differentiation technique. The choice of a suitable time integration strategy for the rotation group appears to be critical for the development of an efficient sensitivity analysis. Three versions of the generalized-alpha time integration scheme are considered: a residual form, a linear form, and a geometric form. Their consistency is discussed, and we show that the residual form, which is the most direct extension of the generalized-alpha algorithm defined in structural dynamics, should not be used for problems with large rotations. The sensitivity analysis is performed and close connections are highlighted between the structure of the sensitivity equations and of the linearized dynamic equations. Hence, algorithms developed for the original problem can be directly reused for the sensitivities. Finally, a numerical example is analysed in detail. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.