Abstract
Structural optimization often requires the evaluation of design sensitivities. The Semi Analytic Method(SAM) fur computing sensitivity is popular in shape optimization because this method has several advantages. But when relatively large rigid body motions are identified for individual elements. the SAM shows severe inaccuracy. In this study, the improvement of design sensitivities corresponding to the rigid body mode is evaluated by exact differentiation of the rigid body modes. Moreover. the error of the SAM caused by numerical difference scheme is alleviated by using a series approximation for the sensitivity derivatives and considering the higher order terms. Finally the present study shows that the refined SAM including the iterative method improves the results of sensitivity analysis in dynamic problems.