Optimal design of semi-rigid connection steel frame with infilled shear walls using dolphin echolocation algorithm

Abstract

In this paper, the dolphin echolocation algorithm (DEA) was applied for optimization. Two different two-dimensional semi-rigid connection steel frames with infilled shear walls (SFIWs) were optimized to obtain the minimum weight with constraints on the element stresses and storey drift ratio according to the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Load and Resistance Factor Design requirements. With the proposed method, the specific details of the infilled shear walls are not given during the design process, but are characterized by the lateral stiffness. The designer can decide which types of infilled shear walls are used according to the result obtained from the optimization. The infilled shear walls are modeled as braces with equivalent lateral stiffnesses, while the semi-rigid connections are used to obtain the practical behaviors of the SFIWs. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is suitable for optimizing semi-rigid connection steel frames with infilled shear walls.