Stochastic Finite Element and Satellite Structure Design - Finite Element Analysis for Satellite Structures - page 219

5.3.1 Sensitivity-Based Approach with Classic Perturbation
(SFEA)
In this method, the sensitivity of the structure response to the input variables is
computed and used in the FORM method. The basic concept of the FORM method,
the search for the design point, requires only the value and gradient of the perfor-
mance function at each iteration. The value of the performance function is available
from deterministic structural analysis. The gradient is computed using sensitivity
analysis. The sensitivity-based reliability analysis approach is more efficient than
Monte Carlo approach, as the latest could be time-consuming. While the response
surface approach that requires the construction of an approximate close-form
expression of the performance function, may need quite large number of deter-
ministic analysis for problems with a large number of random variables. The reli-
ability estimate using the response surface approach is as accurate as the closed-form
approximation to the performance function. If the implicit performance function is
highly nonlinear and the close-form approximation is too approximate, the reli-
ability estimate may also be too approximate. The combination of sensitivity