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.

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.

Demonstrating the high level of maturity reached in design optimisation methodologies, this book contains most of the papers presented at the seventh international conference on Computer Aided Optimum Design of Structures.

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.

The use of novel materials and new structural concepts nowadays is not restricted to highly technical areas like aerospace, aeronautical applications or the automotive industry, but affects all engineering fields including those such as civil engineering and architecture. The included contributions highlight the latest developments in design and manufacturing. Most high-performance structures require the development of a generation of new materials, which can more easily resist a range of external stimuli or react in a non-conventional manner. Particular emphasis is placed on intelligent structures and materials as well as the application of computational methods for their modelling, control and management. The book also addresses the topic of design optimisation. Contributions cover numerical methods, different optimisation techniques and new software. Optimisation problems include those related to the size, shape and topology of structures and materials. Optimisation techniques have much to offer to those involved in the design of new industrial products, as the appearance of powerful commercial computer codes has created a fertile field for the incorporation of optimisation in the design process of all engineering disciplines. The performance of structures under shock and impact loads is another area covered. The increasing need to protect civilian infrastructure and industrial facilities against unintentional loads arising from accidental impact and explosion events as well as terrorist attacks is reflected in the sustained interest worldwide. While advances have been made in recent decades, many challenges remain, such as developing more effective and efficient blast and impact mitigation approaches or assessing the uncertainties associated with large and small scale testing and validation of numerical and analytical models. The overall aim is to move towards a better understanding of the critical issues relating to the testing behaviour, modelling and analyses of protective structures against blast and impact loading. The studies contained in this volume were presented at the International Conference on High Performance and Optimum Structures and Materials Encompassing Shock and Impact Loading and address issues involving advanced types of structures, particularly those based on new concepts, and shock and impact resistance.

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.

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.

The volume presents a collaboration between internationally recognized experts on anti-optimization and structural optimization, and summarizes various novel ideas, methodologies and results studied over 20 years. The book vividly demonstrates how the concept of uncertainty should be incorporated in a rigorous manner during the process of designing real-world structures. The necessity of anti-optimization approach is first demonstrated, then the anti-optimization techniques are applied to static, dynamic and buckling problems, thus covering the broadest possible set of applications. Finally, anti-optimization is fully utilized by a combination of structural optimization to produce the optimal design considering the worst-case scenario. This is currently the only book that covers the combination of optimization and anti-optimization. It shows how various optimization techniques are used in the novel anti-optimization technique, and how the structural optimization can be exponentially enhanced by incorporating the concept of worst-case scenario, thereby increasing the safety of the structures designed in various fields of engineering.

Demonstrating the high level of maturity reached in design optimisation methodologies, this book contains most of the papers presented at the 8th International Conference on Computer Aided Optimum Design of Structure. State of the art advances in research together with a broad variety of practical applications in engineering practice are covered.

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.