The prevalent strategy in the topology optimization phase is to select a subset of members existing in an excessively connected truss, called Ground Structure, such that the overall weight or cost is minimized. Although finding a good topology significantly reduces the overall cost, excessive growth of the size of topology space combined with existence of varied types of design variables challe...

Buildup of internal self-stresses in hyperstatic adaptive structures resists actuation. A recent paper by Guest and Hutchinson (2003) shows that periodic in*nite truss structures cannot be both statically and kinematically determinate structures; therefore, a rigid in*nite lattice bar framework must be hyperstatic. This paper shows that it is possible to design adaptive periodic in*nite truss s...

Truss systems are widely used in engineering practice, mainly due to the economy, simple manufacturing, transportation and storage. These systems form the framework of such constructions as bridges, towers, roof supporting structures, etc. Usually a truss system includes a large number of elements (trusses), which can have different parameters (length, cross-sectional area, shape of crosssectio...

Rigidizable-Inflatable (RI) materials offer the possibility of deployable large space structures (C.H.M. Jenkins (ed.), Gossamer Spacecraft: Membrane and Inflatable Structures Technology for Space Applications, Progress in Aeronautics and Astronautics, 191, AIAA Pubs., 2001) and so are of interest in applications where large optical or RF apertures are needed. In particular, in recent years the...

Recently, many meta-heuristic algorithms are proposed for optimization of various problems. Some of them originally are presented for continuous optimization problems and some others are just applicable for discrete ones. In the literature, sizing optimization of truss structures is one of the discrete optimization problems which is solved by many meta-heuristic algorithms. In this paper, in or...

Deterring the optimum design of large-scale structures is a difficult task. Great number of design variables, largeness of the search space and controlling great number of design constraints are major preventive factors in performing optimum design of large-scale truss structures in a reasonable time. Meta-heuristic algorithms are known as one of the useful tools to d...

A geometry-based rigorous approach to the detection of global and internal mobility of skeletal structures (trusses and frames) is presented. The method is useful for automated design of skeletal structures at the conceptual stage where the overall topology of the structure is known, but no exact detail on geometry and size is available. Such topologies are, for example, those generated by inte...

This paper presents the optimization of the location and feedback gains of active bar in a closed loop control system for stochastic piezoelectric smart truss structures under stationary random excitation. The mathematical model with reliability constraints on the mean square value of the structural random dynamic displacement and stress response is developed based on maximization of dissipatio...

Recently, an improved (l + k) constrainted differential evolution (ICDE) has been proposed and proven to be robust and effective for solving constrainted optimization problems. However, so far, the ICDE has been developed mainly for continuous design variables, and hence it becomes inappropriate for solving layout truss optimization problems which contain both discrete and continuous variables....

in this research a new approach is proposed for elasto-plastic analysis of structures with truss elements. this method covers both perfectly plastic and hardening properties. the proposed technique uses substituting virtual loads instead of modifying the stiffness matrix. to solve this kind of problems, complementary programming is utilized. numerical examples demonstrate that elastoplastic ana...