AIMS AND SCOPE

There exists much practical and scientific interest in the dynamic response of structures that have uncertain properties due to variability in the manufacturing and assembly processes, with automotive and aerospace structures forming prime examples. The difficulty in attempting to predict the response statistics of such structures is immense, due to the large number of physical variables which might be uncertain and the inevitable lack of data regarding the statistical distribution of these variables. This is a very active research area, with novel techniques being derived for high, low and mid frequency vibrations. At high frequencies there is substantial evidence to suggest that the uncertainty saturate and the response statistics are independent of the details of the underlying physical uncertainties. In this case researchers are using and extending methods originally developed both in phenomenological thermodynamics and in the fields of quantum mechanics and random matrix theory. At low frequencies, Much new work is being focussed on parametric uncertainty modelling (probabilistic models, interval analysis, and fuzzy descriptions) and on methods of propagating this uncertainty through a large dynamic model in an efficient way. At mid frequencies the problem is mixed and various hybrid schemes have been proposed. The only previous IUTAM Symposium on a somewhat similar topic was that on Statistical Energy Analysis (1997), a particular approach which is applicable to only high frequency vibrations. Since that time the subject has undergone major advances, and many of the problems raised in 1997 have been solved, only to be replaced with exciting new challenges as researchers seek to analyse uncertain structures across the whole frequency range. A full solution to the problem requires expertise in many areas (including, as stated above, random matrix theory, interval analysis, statistical thermodynamics, fundamental uncertainty modelling, and large scale computation) and much would be gained by bringing together experts in these fields.

The goals of this symposium are therefore to:

  1. bring together researchers from a range of different disciplines and industrial focuses,
  2. review present analytical, modelling and simulation capabilities,
  3. identify open problems and research issues,
  4. stimulate international collaboration.