TECHNICAL PAPERS
Jul 1, 1992

Minimum Weight Design of Structural Topologies

Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 118, Issue 7

Abstract

A design procedure for optimizing structural topologies is presented. The member sizes are the design variables and the constraints are related to stresses, displacements, and bounds on the variables. The proposed procedure is intended to overcome some basic difficulties involved in the solution process. A near optimal solution is achieved by solving sequentially several simple subproblems. A main feature of this approach is that the exact analysis of the structure need not be repeated many times during the solution process. The effectiveness of the proposed solution procedure is demonstrated by several examples. It is shown that optimal topologies are significantly better than nonoptimal ones.

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References

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Dorn, W. S., Gomory, R. E., and Greenberg, H. J. (1964). “Automatic design of optimal structures.” Journal de Mecanique, 31, 25–52.
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Go to Journal of Structural Engineering
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 118Issue 7July 1992
Pages: 1770 - 1785

History

Published online: Jul 1, 1992
Published in print: Jul 1992

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Authors

Affiliations

U. Kirsch
Visiting Prof. and Carnegie Res. Fellow, Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Heriot‐Watt Univ., Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS United Kingdom
B. H. V. Topping
Prof. of Struct. Engrg., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Heriot‐Watt Univ., Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom

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