Meshfree analysis and design sensitivity analysis for shell structures

A uni9ed design sensitivity analysis method for a meshfree shell structure with respect to size, shape, and con9guration design variables is presented in this paper. A shear deformable shell formulation is characterized by a CAD connection, thickness degeneration, meshfree discretization, and nodal integration. Because of a strong connection to the CAD tool, the design variable is selected from the CAD parameters, and a consistent design velocity 9eld is then computed by perturbing the surface geometric matrix. The material derivative concept is utilized in order to obtain a design sensitivity equation in the parametric domain. Numerical examples show the accuracy and e@ciency of the proposed design sensitivity analysis method compared to the analytical solution and the 9nite diAerence solution. Copyright ? 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.