A PATH-SWITCHING STRATEGY BY COMBINING THE USE OF GENERALIZED INVERSE AND LINE SEARCH

A path-switching strategy by combining the use of generalized inverse and line search is proposed. A reliable predictor for the tangent vector to bifurcation path is first computed by using the generalized inverse approach. A line search in the direction of maximum gradient of total potential at the point of intersection between the above predictor and a constant loading plane introduced in the vicinity of the detected bifurcation point is then carried out for the purpose of obtaining an improved approximation for a point on bifurcation path. With this approximation obtained, an actual point on bifurcation path is then computed through iteration on the constant loading plane.