Abstract
Stiffener layout patterns are studied in this paper to acquire the maximal natural frequency for a plate by applying a growing and branching rule just like tree branch model. The stiffener starts from seeds, positions of which are specified in advance, and grows in the direction depending on the sensitivity of natural frequency with respect to the cross sectional area of the stiffener. The update increase of cross sectional area is proportional to the sensitivity value. When the cross sectional area reaches a specified threshold value, the stiffener will branch off or degenerate. Simulation of some numerical examples are implemented to prove the validity and effectiveness of the proposal method, and optimal patterns of stiffener layout for some kinds of support conditions are demonstrated.
