Optimization of steel truss structures under seismic loading using direct analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a problem for optimizing the volume of steel truss structures subjected to earthquake loads. Direct analysis method is used to consider the nonlinear behavior of truss structure under static load. Time-history dynamic analysis is used to calculate structures subjected to earthquake loads. The design variable is the cross-section of the truss rod with constraints including strength and use. The differential evolution (DE) algorithm is used to solve the given problem. To illustrate the construction optimization problem, a 113-bar plane truss bridge subjected to El Centro earthquake loads is studied. The calculation results show the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm in solving the problem of the truss system subjected to earthquake loads.

Keywords: Optization; differential evolution; direct analysis; truss