Containing the proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Computer Aided Optimum Design of Structures, this volume looks at recent advances in structural optimization and demonstrates how optimization can best be applied to engineering practice.

Particular emphasis is placed on computational methods to model, control and manage new structural solutions and material types. This integration of their design together with optimisation technologies is prevalent in all aspects of industry and research. This book contains the most significant papers presented in OPTI 2009. Following the spirit of previous editions some of them deal with the algorithmic part of this scientific discipline while other authors describe innovative design optimisation formulations in several engineering fields or practical applications in industrial problems. Research topics included: New and enhanced algorithms; Shape optimisation; Design optimisation in materials, construction and bridge engineering; Design optimization in aircraft engineering; Optimisation in dam and soil engineering.

This book contains the edited version of lectures and selected papers presented at the NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE ON COMPUTER AIDED OPTIMAL DESIGN: Structural and Mechanical Systems, held in Tr6ia, Portugal, 29th June to 11th July 1986, and organized by CEMUL -Center of Mechanics and Materials of the Technical University of Lisbon. The Institute was attended by 120 participants from 21 countries, including leading scientists and engineers from universities, research institutions and industry, and Ph.D. students. Some participants presented invited and contributed papers during the Institute and almost all participated actively in discussions on scientific aspects during the Institute. The Advanced Study Institute provided a forum for interaction among eminent scientists and engineers from different schools of thought and young reseachers. The Institute addressed the foundations and current state of the art of essential techniques related to computer aided optimal design of structural and mechanical systems, namely: Vari ational and Finite Element Methods in Optimal Design, Numerical Optimization Techniques, Design Sensitivity Analysis, Shape Optimal Design, Adaptive Finite Element Methods in Shape Optimization, CAD Technology, Software Development Techniques, Integrated Computer Aided Design and Knowledge Based Systems. Special topics of growing importance were also pre sented.

Sponsored by the Technical Committee on Structural Design of the Technical Administrative Committee on Analysis and Computation of the Technical Activities Division of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE. This report documents the dramatic new developments in the field of structural optimization over the last two decades. Changes in both computational techniques and applications can be seen by developments in computational methods and solution algorithms, the role of optimization during the various stages of structural design, and the stochastic nature of design in relation to structural optimization. Topics include: Ømethods for discrete variable structural optimization; Ødecomposition methods in structural optimization; Østate of the art on the use of genetic algorithms in design of steel structures; Øconceptual design optimization of engineering structures; Øtopology and geometry optimization of trusses and frames; Øevolutionary structural optimization; Ødesign and optimization of semi-rigid framed structures; Øoptimized performance-based design for buildings; Ømulti-objective optimum design of seismic-resistant structures; and Øreliability- and cost-oriented optimal bridge maintenance planning. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography of journal papers on structural optimization published between 1987 and 1999.

Presenting the latest research discussed at the Twelfth International Conference on Computer Aided Optimum Design in Engineering, this book contains papers describing case studies in engineering; considering static, dynamic analysis and damage tolerance. Manufacturing and structural protection issues are discussed as well as emergent applications in fields such as biomechanics. Contributions also include numerical methods and different optimisation techniques.Nowadays, it is widely accepted that optimisation techniques have much to offer to those involved in the design of new industrial products. The formulation of optimum design has evolved from the time it was purely an academic topic, unable now to satisfy the requirements of real life prototypes. The development of new algorithms, the improvement of others, the appearance of powerful commercial computer codes with easy to use graphical interfaces and the revolution in the speed of computers has created a fertile field for the incorporation of optimisation in the design process in different engineering disciplines Topics covered include: Structural optimisation, Optimisation in biomechanics, Shape and topology optimisation, Industrial design optimisation cases, Evolutionary methods in design optimisation, Multi-level optimisation, Multidisciplinary optimisation, Reliability based optimisation, Material optimisation, Aerospace structures, Applications in mechanical and car engineering, New and enhanced formulations, Optimisation under extreme forces, Optimisation in aerodynamics, Optimisation in civil engineering, Life cost optimisation, Education issues in design optimisation, Commercial software for design optimisation.

Today’s biggest structural engineering challenge is to design better structures, and a key issue is the need to take an integrated approach which balances control of costs with the requirement for handling earthquakes and other dynamic forces. Structural optimization is based on rigorous mathematical formulation and requires computation algorithms for sizing structural elements and synthesizing systems. Now that the right software and enough computing power are readily available, professionals can now develop a suite of alternative designs and a select suitable one. A thoroughly-written and practical book on structural optimization is long overdue. This solid book comprehensively presents current optimization strategies, illustrated with sufficient examples of the design of elements and systems and presenting descriptions of the process and results. Emphasis is given to dynamic loading, in particular to seismic forces. Researchers and practising engineers will find this book an excellent reference, and advanced undergraduates or graduate students can use it as a resource for structural optimization design.

While the weight of a structure constitutes a significant part of the cost, a minimum weight design is not necessarily the minimum cost design. Little attention in structural optimization has been paid to the cost optimization problem, particularly of realistic three-dimensional structures. Cost optimization is becoming a priority in all civil engineering projects, and the concept of Life-Cycle Costing is penetrating design, manufacturing and construction organizations. In this groundbreaking book the authors present novel computational models for cost optimization of large scale, realistic structures, subjected to the actual constraints of commonly used design codes. As the first book on the subject this book: Contains detailed step-by-step algorithms Focuses on novel computing techniques such as genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, and parallel computing Covers both Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) codes Includes realistic design examples covering large-scale, high-rise building structures Presents computational models that enable substantial cost savings in the design of structures Fully automated structural design and cost optimization is where large-scale design technology is heading, thus Cost Optimization of Structures: Fuzzy Logic, Genetic Algorithms, and Parallel Computing will be of great interest to civil and structural engineers, mechanical engineers, structural design software developers, and architectural engineers involved in the design of structures and life-cycle cost optimisation. It is also a pioneering text for graduate students and researchers working in building design and structural optimization.