Design of Truss Structure Using Local Rules

Abstract

This paper presents the design scheme of plane truss structures using the cellular automata. In the structural design scheme based on the cellular automata simulation, the optimization process is driven according to the local rule which is defined as the relationship between the neighboring elements. In the present scheme, the local rule is analytically derived from the mathematically defined optimization problem. The cross-sectional areas of the truss members are taken as the design variables. The design objectives are to minimize the total weight of the structure and to reduce the maximum stress below the reference stress. Besides, the special constraint condition named as "CA-constraint condition" is introduced in order to derive the local rule. The penalty function is derived from the objective functions and the constraint condition and then, stationalizing the function leads to the local rule. The present scheme is applied to the design of the plane truss structures in order to confirm the validity.