Optimum design of a vaulted roof steel structure using grey wolf and backtracking search optimization algorithms through application programming interface

Abstract

In present study, structural formation identification of a vaulted roof steel structure is taken as optimization problem. The cost of a steel structure is directly related to the weight of the structure. Weight minimization of the vaulted roof steel structure is considered as objective function of the design problem. The design problem is intended to be as realistic as possible. Wind loads and snow loads are calculated in direction of TS EN 1991-1-4 and TS EN1991-1-3practice code specifications, respectively. And dead loads reobtained in terms of gravity. The structural design constraints of the optimization problem are determined according to American Institute of Steel Construction-Allowable Stress Design (AISC-ASD). In the design, W-shaped steel profile sections to be selected for assigning to the structural elements are considered as discrete design variables. Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Backtracking Search Optimization (BSO) algorithms that are relatively recent metaheuristic algorithms are utilized as optimizer tools to obtain the minimum weighted structural design. The vaulted roof steel structure is initially modeled in a finite element packaged software (ANSYS Workbench v18.1). Then, using the application programming interface of the software, integration of finite element model with GWO and BSO optimization algorithms encoded in Microsoft Visual Basic for Application (MS VBA v7) programming language is provided. Thus, the performances of two new generation optimization algorithms in design optimization of a vaulted roof steel structure are compared and the benefits of the application programming interface are demonstrated.