Discrete optimization of trusses by simulated annealing

Abstract

At present, several methods are available for optimization of structures. The application of such methods to real structural problems, however, has not been as intense as the development of the techniques themselves. One of the main reasons is that the great majority of the methods, based on mathematical programming, consider a continuous search space. This paper presents an application of the Simulated Annealing method to the optimization of trusses considering the cross sections of the members as discrete variables. The constraints imposed to the analysis were the allowable stresses and the displacements on nodes. Some examples are presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method when compared with other methods found in literature.