A modified perturbation scheme for structural statics systems with random parameters

An answer to the question how random variations of design parameters affect the static structural response is presented in the paper. A variational approach for structural statics is formulated in the context of the finite element method, and stochastic sensitivity of static response is described in terms of the adjoint system technique. When compared with the conventional perturbations, the suggested technique seems to be original, as being completely second-order accurate. Illustrative examples are dealt with beam and shell elements. Numerical results are given for the first two probabilistic moments of displacement sensitivity gradients with respect to random design parameters. Concluding remarks point out to the need for stochastic sensitivity analysis for a better description of real objects, indicating that dynamic stochastic sensitivity analysis as worthy forthcoming work.