Benchmark problems in structural optimization

Abstract

Structural optimization is an important area related to both optimization and structural engineering. Structural optimization problems are often used as benchmarks to validate new optimization algorithms or to test the suitability of a chosen algorithm. In almost all structural engineering applications, it is very important to find the best possible parameters for given design objectives and constraints which are highly non-linear, involving many different design variables. The field of structural optimization is also an area undergoing rapid changes in terms of methodology and design tools. Thus, it is highly necessary to summarize some benchmark problems for structural optimization. This chapter provides an overview of structural optimization problems of both truss and non-truss cases. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.