Total and Partial Updating Technique: A Swift Approach for Cross-Section and Geometry Optimization of Truss Structures

Abstract

In this paper, a novel two-phase method called Total and Partial Updating Technique, is employed for the cross section and geometry optimization of truss structures. The goal of optimizing such structures is to minimize their weights under natural frequency constraints. In Total and Partial Updating Technique, in order to find the global optimum point, only the best two existed solution points at each repetition move together in the search space defined in each phase. Each time, the first phase is destined to find a solution near the global optimum point although searching in the unfeasible region. In the second phase, it is forced jumping into the feasible region to reach the global optimum point. The comparison of the results with those in the literature on two numerical examples demonstrates that due to its relatively significant low computational costs and its assured non-violated constrained optimum solutions at the end of the process, the method may be considered as more reliable and efficient technique on such problems.