A local-restart coupled strategy for simultaneous sizing and geometry truss optimization

• Published in: Latin American journal of solids and structures Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 335 - 349
• Main Authors: Torii, André Jacomel, Lopez, Rafael Holdorf, Luersen, Marco Antônio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Ciências Mecânicas 01-09-2011; Marcílio Alves
• Subjects: ENGINEERING, CIVIL; ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL; geometry optimization; global optimization; MECHANICS; minimum volume; size optimization; stress constraints; truss structures; size optimization; minimum volume; geometry optimization; truss structures; global optimization; stress constraints
• ISSN: 1679-7825; 1679-7825
• DOI: 10.1590/S1679-78252011000300008

This paper presents an approach for the global optimization of truss sizing and geometry that is based on a probabilistic restart procedure coupled with a local search algorithm. The resulting algorithm is able to guarantee local optimality and provides a set of local optima which contain, with an increasing probability as the number of restarts increases, the global solution. The optimization problem searches for a truss structure of minimum volume, subject to stress constraints. The design variables are the bars cross-section areas and some nodal coordinates. Several loading conditions are also considered. Finally, four numerical examples are presented and the main aspects of the approach are discussed.