Fuzzy arithmetic and solving of the static governing equations of fuzzy finite element method

The key component of finite element analysis of structures with fuzzy parameters, which is associated with handling of some fuzzy information and arithmetic relation of fuzzy variables, was the solving of the governing equations of fuzzy finite element method. Based on a given interval representation of fuzzy numbers, some arithmetic rules of fuzzy numbers and fuzzy variables were developed in terms of the properties of interval arithmetic. According to the rules and the theory of interval finite element method, procedures for solving the static governing equations of fuzzy finite element method of structures were presented. By the proposed procedure, the possibility distributions of responses of fuzzy structures can be generated in terms of the membership functions of the input fuzzy numbers. It is shown by a numerical example that the computational burden of the presented procedures is low and easy to implement. The effectiveness and usefulness of the presented procedures are also illustrated.