A simultaneous topology and sizing optimization for plane trusses

Abstract

This paper presents two approaches to determine the optimal plane trusses using the particle swarm optimization. The two-stage optimization and the simultaneous topology-sizing optimization of plane trusses are investigated and compared. The matrix representation of both topology and element size is introduced and integrated into the standard particle swarm algorithm to enable higher flexibility and computational efficiency. The truss weight is to be minimized subjected to stability, stress and deformation constraints. The results show that the simultaneous optimization provided much better solutions with higher expense of computational time.