Design of tensegrity structures by minimizing static compliance

Abstract

This paper presents a new method to obtain simultaneous optimal design parameters, such as pre-stress force, sectional area of the element for tensegrity structures. The proposed method is based on minimizing the static compliance in terms of some linear and nonlinear constraints by using genetic algorithm tool. Despite most of studies recently in tensegrity optimization, the proposed study is devoted for concurrent cross sectional area of element and pre-stress optimization of tensegrity where the system works under applied external loading with topology and shape are fixed. Modifying of tensegrity structures according to optimal design parameters increases the rigidity of systems. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm to find the optimum values for design variables of tensegrity structures is tested through three known examples.