Optimization Of Large Structural Systems

G.I.N. Rozvany ASI Director, Professor of Structural Design, FB 10, Essen University, Essen, Germany Structural optimization deals with the optimal design of all systems that consist, at least partially, of solids and are subject to stresses and deformations. This inte grated discipline plays an increasingly important role in all branches of technology, including aerospace, structural, mechanical, civil and chemical engineering as well as energy generation and building technology. In fact, the design of most man made objects, ranging from space-ships and long-span bridges to tennis rackets and artificial organs, can be improved considerably if human intuition is enhanced by means of computer-aided, systematic decisions. In analysing highly complex structural systems in practice, discretization is un avoidable because closed-form analytical solutions are only available for relatively simple, idealized problems. To keep discretization errors to a minimum, it is de sirable to use a relatively large number of elements. Modern computer technology enables us to analyse systems with many thousand degrees of freedom. In the optimization of structural systems, however, most currently available methods are restricted to at most a few hundred variables or a few hundred active constraints.

This is the second of two volumes which examine structural optimization of large structural systems. Topics covered in these volumes include optimality criteria and topology optimization, decomposition methods and approximation concepts, neural networks and parallel processing.

This volume contains 28 papers by renowned international experts on the latest advances in structural reliability methods and applications, engineering risk analysis and decision making, new optimization techniques and various applications in civil engineering. Moreover, several contributions focus on the assessment and optimization of existing str

Computational optimization methods have matured over the last few years due to extensive research by applied mathematicians and engineers. These methods have been applied to many practical applications. Several general-purpose optimization programs and programs for specific engineering applications have become available to solve particular optimization problems.Written by leading researchers in the field of optimization, this highly readable book covers state-of-the-art computational algorithms as well as applications of optimization to structural and mechanical systems. Formulations of the problems and numerical solutions are presented, and topics requiring further research are also suggested.

Shape and layout optimization represent some of the most useful but also most difficult classes of problems in structural design, which have been investigated in detail only during the last few years. Shape optimization is concerned with the optimal shape of boundaries of continua or of interfaces between two materials in composites. Layout optimization deals with the simultaneous optimization of the topology, geometry and cross-sectional sizes of structural systems. In spite of its complextiy, layout optimization is a very rewarding task, because it results in much greater savings than the optimization of cross-sectional sizes only. Because of their important role in shape and layout optimization, the book also covers in detail new optimality criteria methods, which are capable of handling many thousand design variables and active design contraints. Shape and layout optimization is becoming an indispensable tool in the design of aeroplanes, space structures, cars, ships, building and civil engineering structures, power stations, chemical plants, artificial organs, sporting equipment, and all other solid systems where stresses and deformations play an important role.

This proceedings volume contains papers presented at the Third Scientific Meeting of the IFIP Working Group on "Reliabilty and Optimization of Structural Systems". The contributions reflect recent developments in the field of modern structural systems optimization and reliability theory and point out directions for further research. Also perspectives for the education in this field were discussed.