The optimal design of structures using ACO and EFG

• Published in: Engineering with computers Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 645 - 653
• Main Author: Shobeiri, Vahid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.10.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ant colony optimization; Boundary conditions; CAE) and Design; Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control; Optimization; Classical Mechanics; Computer Science; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Control; Economic models; Galerkin method; Lagrange multiplier; Math. Applications in Chemistry; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical and Computational Engineering; Original Article; Shape functions; Systems Theory; Topology optimization; Topology optimization; Element free Galerkin (EFG); Numerical instabilities; Ant colony optimization (ACO)
• ISSN: 0177-0667; 1435-5663
• DOI: 10.1007/s00366-016-0443-4

This paper presents an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm incorporating the element free Galerkin (EFG) method for topology optimization of continuum structures. The EFG method is used to derive shape functions using the moving least squares approximation. The essential boundary conditions are enforced by the Lagrange multiplier method. Several numerical examples are presented to show the validity and feasibly of the proposed method. The common numerical instabilities of the ACO algorithm do not exist in the results.