Elitist Self-Adaptive Step-Size Search in Optimum Sizing of Steel Structures

Authors: Oğuzhan Hasançebi, Saeid Kazemzadeh Azad

Abstract:

This paper covers application of an elitist selfadaptive

step-size search (ESASS) to optimum design of steel

skeletal structures. In the ESASS two approaches are considered for

improving the convergence accuracy as well as the computational

efficiency of the original technique namely the so called selfadaptive

step-size search (SASS). Firstly, an additional randomness

is incorporated into the sampling step of the technique to preserve

exploration capability of the algorithm during the optimization.

Moreover, an adaptive sampling scheme is introduced to improve the

quality of final solutions. Secondly, computational efficiency of the

technique is accelerated via avoiding unnecessary analyses during the

optimization process using an upper bound strategy. The numerical

results demonstrate the usefulness of the ESASS in the sizing

optimization problems of steel truss and frame structures.

Keywords: structural design optimization, optimal sizing, metaheuristics, self-adaptive step-size search, steel trusses, steel frames