Advances in solution of classical generalized eigenvalue problem

Owing to the growing size of the eigenvalue problem and the growing number of eigenvalues desired, solution methods of iterative nature are becoming more popular than ever, which however suffer from low efficiency and lack of proper convergence criteria. In this paper, three efficient iterative eigenvalue algorithms are considered, i.e., subspace iteration method, iterative Ritz vector method and iterative Lanczos method based on the cell sparse fast solver and loop-unrolling. They are examined under the mode error criterion, i.e., the ratio of the out-of-balance nodal forces and the maximum elastic nodal point forces. Averagely speaking, the iterative Ritz vector method is the most efficient one among the three. Based on the mode error convergence criteria, the eigenvalue solvers are shown to be more stable than those based on eigenvalues only. Compared with ANSYS's subspace iteration and block Lanczos approaches, the subspace iteration presented here appears to be more efficient, while the Lanczos approach has roughly equal efficiency. The methods proposed are robust and efficient. Large size tests show that the improvement in terms of CPU time and storage is tremendous. Also reported is an aggressive shifting technique for the subspace iteration method, based on the mode error convergence criteria. A backward technique is introduced when the shift is not located in the right region. The efficiency of such a technique was demonstrated in the numerical tests.