2004 Volume 22 Pages 21-30
This paper deals with the geometric optimization for maximizing structural stiffness of 3-D arm-like variable geometry trusses (VGTs) subjected to an external static load. The 3-D arm-like VGTs are formed by joining several octahedral truss units, and their overall geometric configurations can be varied so as to change the mechanical characteristics of VGTs. The proposed approach to obtain the global optimum geometric configuration is based on the tunneling method. The numerical results obtained for two- and three-unit trusses agree well with those obtained by the parametric approach. Thus it can be concluded that the proposed approach is reliable enough to find the global optimum geometric configurations of 3-D arm-like VGTs.
