• International conference on construction engineering and project management
• /
• 2020.12a
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 2020

Reliability-based structural optimization usually requires designers or engineers model different designs manually, which is considered very time consuming and all possibilities cannot be fully explored. Otherwise, a lot of time are needed for designers or engineers to learn mathematical modeling and programming skills. Therefore, a framework that integrates generative design, structural simulation and reliability theory is proposed. With the proposed framework, various designs are generated based on a set of rules and parameters defined based on visual programming, and their structural performance are simulated by OpenSees. Then, reliability of each design is evaluated based on the simulation results, and an optimal design can be found. The proposed framework and prototype are tested in the optimization of a steel frame structure, and results illustrate that generative design based on visual programming is user friendly and different design possibilities can be explored in an efficient way. It is also reported that structural reliability can be assessed in an automatic way by integrating Dynamo and OpenSees. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a novel framework for automatic reliability evaluation and structural optimization.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.826-833
• /
• 2010

Electric-thermal-structural actuated compliant mechanisms are mechanisms onto which electric voltage drop is applied as input instead of force. This mechanism is based on thermal expansion of material while being heated. Compliant mechanisms are designed subjected to electric charge input using BESO(bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization) method. Reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) is applied to the topology design of actuators. performance measure approach (PMA), which has probabilistic constraints that are formulated in terms of the reliability index, is adopted to evaluate the probabilistic constraints. In this study, BESO method is used to obtain optimal topology of compliant mechanisms from initial design domain. PMA approach is used to evaluate reliability index. The procedure has been tested in numerical applications and compared with the results obtained by other methods to validate these approaches.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.177-188
• /
• 2024

The fatigue-induced sequential failure of a structure having structural redundancy requires system-level analysis to account for stress redistribution. System reliability-based design optimization (SRBDO) for preventing fatigue-initiated structural failure is numerically costly owing to the inclusion of probabilistic constraints. This study incorporates the Branch-and-Bound method employing system reliability Bounds (termed the B³ method), a failure-path structural system reliability analysis approach, with a metaheuristic optimization algorithm, namely grey wolf optimization (GWO), to obtain the optimal design of structures under fatigue-induced system failure. To further improve the efficiency of this new optimization framework, an additional bounding rule is proposed in the context of SRBDO against fatigue using the B³ method. To demonstrate the proposed method, it is applied to complex problems, a multilayer Daniels system and a three-dimensional tripod jacket structure. The system failure probability of the optimal design is confirmed to be below the target threshold and verified using Monte Carlo simulation. At earlier stages of the optimization, a smaller number of limit-state function evaluation is required, which increases the efficiency. In addition, the proposed method can allocate limited materials throughout the structure optimally so that the optimally-designed structure has a relatively large number of failure paths with similar failure probability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.224-229
• /
• 2010

This paper presents a reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) using bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO). An actual design involves uncertain conditions such as material property, operational load and dimensional variation. Deterministic topology optimization (DTO) is obtained without considering of uncertainties related to the uncertainty parameters. However, the RBTO can consider the uncertainty variables because it has the probabilistic constraints. In this paper, the reliability index approach (RIA) is adopted to evaluate the probabilistic constraint. RBTO based on BESO starting from various design domains produces a similar optimal topology each other. Numerical examples are presented to compare the DTO with the RBTO.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 1997.10a
• /
• pp.145-154
• /
• 1997

The results of optimum design by the deterministic approach adopted in the current design codes depend upon the safety levels of the applied code. But, it is now generally recognized that structural problems are nondeterministic and, consequently, that engineering optimum design must cope with uncertainties. Therefore, it is not an overstatement to affirm that the combination of reliability-based design procedures and optimization techniques is the only means of providing a powerful tool to obtain a practical optimum design solution. In the paper, reliability based optimum design procedure as a rational approach to optimum structural design is presented. The design constraints are formulated based on the ASD, LRFD and reliability theories. The reliability analysis is based on an advanced first-order second moment approach. Uncertainties in the structural strength and loading due to inherent variability as well as modeling and prediction errors are included in failure due to combined bending and shear. For the realistic reliability-based optimization of continuous steel box girder bridges, interactive non-linear limit state model is formulated based on the von Mises's combined stress yield criterion. Comparative results are presented when the ASD criteria are used for the optimum design of a structure under reliability constraints. In addition, this study comparatively shows the results of the optimum design for various criteria of design codes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.62 no.2
• /
• pp.125-138
• /
• 2017

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is a powerful tool for design optimization when considering probabilistic characteristics of design variables. However, it is often computationally intensive because of the coupling of reliability analysis and cost minimization. In this study, the concept of reliability mapping function is defined based on the relationship between the reliability index obtained by using the mean value first order reliability method and the failure probability obtained by using an improved response surface method. Double-loop involved in the classical RBDO can be converted into single-loop by using the reliability mapping function. Since the computational effort of the mean value first order reliability method is minimal, RBDO by using reliability mapping functions should be highly efficient. Engineering examples are given to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. Numerical results indicated that the proposed method has the similar accuracy as Monte Carlo simulation, and it can obviously reduce the computational effort.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.1099-1120
• /
• 2014

In this paper, reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) of structures is addressed. For this purpose, the global search and optimization capabilities of genetic algorithm (GA) are combined with the efficiency and reasonable accuracy of an advanced moment-based finite element reliability method. For performing RBDO, three variants of GA including a real-coded, a binary-coded and an improved binary-coded GA are developed. In these methods, GA performs (finite element) reliability analyses to evaluate reliability constraints. For truss structures which include finite element modeling, reliability constraints are evaluated using finite element reliability analysis. Response sensitivity required for finite element reliability analysis is obtained by direct differentiation method (DDM) rather than finite difference method (FDM). The proposed methods are examined within four standard test examples and real-world design problems. The results illustrate the superiority and efficiency of the improved binary-coded GA. Results also illustrate that DDM significantly reduces the computational cost and improves the efficiency of the optimization procedure.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.469-475
• /
• 2010

The objective of this study is to integrate reliability analysis into shape optimization problem using the evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) in the application example. Reliability-based shape optimization is formulated as volume minimization problem with probabilistic stress constraint under minimization max. von Mises stress and allow stress. Young's modulus, external load and thickness are considered as uncertain variables. In order to compute reliability index, four methods, i.e., reliability index approach (RIA), performance measure approach (PMA), single-loop singlevector (SLSV) and adaptive-loop (ADL), are used. Reliability-based shape optimization design process is conducted to obtain optimal shape satisfying max. von Mises stress and reliability index constraints with the above four methods, and then each result is compared with respect to numerical stability and computing time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.529-538
• /
• 2010

This paper presents a reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) based on bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO). In design of a structure, uncertain conditions such as material property, operational load and dimensional variation should be considered. Deterministic topology optimization (DTO) is performed without considering the uncertainties related to the design variables. However, the RBTO can consider the uncertainty variables because it can deal with the probabilistic constraints. The reliability index approach (RIA) and the performance measure approach (PMA) are adopted to evaluate the probabilistic constraints in this study. In order to apply the BESO to the RBTO, sensitivity number for each element is defined as the change in the reliability index of the structure due to removal of each element. Smoothing scheme is also used to eliminate checkerboard patterns in topology optimization. The limit state indicates the margin of safety between the resistance (constraints) and the load of structures. The limit State function expresses to evaluate reliability index from finite element analysis. Numerical examples are presented to compare each optimal topology obtained from RBTO and DTO each other. It is verified that the RBTO based on BESO can be effectively performed from the results.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 1993.04a
• /
• pp.135-140
• /
• 1993

The optimum weight design of structure is to determine the combination of structural members which minimize the weight of structures and satisfy design conditions as well. Since most of loads and design variables considered in structural design have uncertain natures, the reliability-based optimization techniques need to be developed. The aim of this study is to estabilish the general algorithm for the minimum weight design of transmission tower structure system with reliability constraints. The sequential linear programming method is used to solve non-linear minimization problems, which converts original non-linear programming problems to sequential linear programming problems. The optimal solutions are produced for various reliability levels such as reliability levels inherent in current standard transmission tower cross-section and optimal transmission tower cross-section obtained with constraints of current design criteria as well as selected target reliability index. The optimal transmission towers satisfying reliability constraints sustain consistent reliability levels on all members. Consequently, more balanced optimum designs are accomplished with less structural weight than traditional designs dealing with deterministic design criteria.