Optimum Structural Design Using Linear Programming

It is frequently true that several trial designs using the same basic structural configuration must be considered before arriving at an acceptable design either in terms of cost or weight. A systematic approach is developed for finding optimum (lightest or cheapest) designs for a wide class of elastic structures. Design parameters are treated as variables and optimization is accomplished by transforming the analysis and design cycle into the solution of a series of linear programming problems. Two examples are used as illustrations including a truss and a rigid frame each subjected to two distinct load conditions. Significant savings in weight may result from a small investment of computational effort. The amount of computation in performing a single cycle of linear programming optimization will not be excessive compared to the computations required for analyzing another trial design.