Topology-Based Robust Design of Structures

Local damages to a structure will cause disproportionate collapse if the system is lacking robustness. The engineering significance of robust design is to provide a relatively rational structural form in the conceptual design in order to meet the function of the building and to reduce the impact of the incidents. From the topological point of view, this paper presents a robust design methodology of structures. It includes a detailed discussion on how to describe the structural quality and how to account for the design uncertainty. In the design process, the section parameter of each member in the ground structure is chosen as the design variable. Minimizing structural vulnerability - which is subject to the constraint conditions like construction measures and capacity requirements - is treated as the objective function. The results of the examples show not only the difference between the traditional optimization and the robust design, but also the conformity with the qualitative experiences.