Multilevel optimization of frames with beams including buckling constraints

• Published in: Computers & structures Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 249 - 261
• Main Author: Ding, Yunliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1989; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Physics; Solid mechanics; Static elasticity (thermoelasticity...); Structural and continuum mechanics; Sensitivity analysis; Frame construction; Two level method; Mechanical structure; Buckling; Optimization; Beam(mechanics)
• ISSN: 0045-7949; 1879-2243
• DOI: 10.1016/0045-7949(89)90037-0

The design problem of frames with beams subject to stress, displacement, and buckling constraints in this paper is treated as two-level structural optimization. The weight of structure, the areas of cross-sections for the independent elements are in system level taken as objective function and system design variables, respectively. They will satisfy the overall deformation and the overall buckling constraints. At the component level the objective is to minimize the weight of each independent element, and the cross-sectional dimensions are the component design variables. The local stress and bucklings in each independent element are component constraints. In addition, an additional constraint corresponding to system design variable is added into component level to assure consistency between system and component variables. Some comparisons are also made between one-level and two-level. Numerical results are given by four examples to show that multilevel optimization is comparable to one-level optimization.