Sensitivity derivatives of eigendata of one-dimensional structural systems

A general formulation based on the transfer matrix is presented to calculat e the sensitivity derivatives of eigenvalue problems of one-dimensional str uctural systems. The method is equally applicable to any discrete or distri buted system of one variable. The formulation is applied to determine the s ensitivity derivatives of eigendata of a rotating helicopter blade and also to an optimization problem of a cantilever beam with frequency constraints . It is found that the computational efficiency of the present method is su perior to those of the existing methods by an order of magnitude and that t his efficacy improves with increasing numbers of design parameters and degr ees of freedom.