COMPARISON OF APPROACHES TO 10 BAR TRUSS STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION WITH INCLUDED BUCKLING CONSTRAINTS

The complex problem of truss structural optimization, based on the discrete design variables assumption, can be approached through optimizing aspects of sizing, shape, and topology or their combinations. This paper aims to show the differences in results depending on which aspect, or combination of aspects of a standard 10 bar truss problem is optimized. In addition to standard constraints for stress, cross section area, and displacement, this paper includes the dynamic constraint for buckling of compressed truss elements. The addition of buckling testing ensures that the optimal solutions are practically applicable. An original optimization approach using genetic algorithm is verified through comparison with literature, and used for all the optimization combinations in this research. The resulting optimized model masses for sizing, shape, and topology or their combinations are compared. A discussion is given to explain the results and to suggest which combination would be best in a generalized example.