A framework for iterative analysis of non-classically damped dynamical systems

In this paper, we propose a general iterative framework to solve the dynamic problem for linear systems with non-classical viscous damping. A systematic approach is used to derive families of stationary iterative schemes that, as an instance of particular interest, decouple the equations of motion for numerical study of the system response. For such schemes, we present a detailed convergence analysis and propose several solution strategies suitable for a broad class of systems. These techniques are based on spectral analysis of particular iteration matrices arising in the derivation and aim at optimizing the convergence performance of the method. We demonstrate that the proposed systematic framework, based on a novel application of the homotopy analysis method, generalizes iterative schemes previously reported in the literature and, importantly, provides a unified perspective for the study of iterative solutions of dynamic problems. Further, we establish a connection between our results and the theory of iterative schemes for algebraic linear systems, thus providing insights on convergence results and applicability of the method. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the approach and indicate future research directions.