American Society of Civil Engineers Recent Advances in Optimal Structural Design

The field of structural optimization has experienced dramatic new developments in both computational techniques and applications over the past two decades. ""Recent Advances in Optimal Structural Design"" documents these new 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: methods for discrete variable structural optimization; decomposition methods in structural optimization; state of the art on the use of genetic algorithms in design of steel structures; conceptual design optimization of engineering structures; topology and geometry optimization of trusses and frames; evolutionary structural optimization; design and optimization of semi-rigid framed structures; optimized performance-based design for buildings; multi-objective optimum design of seismic-resistant structures; and reliability- and cost-oriented optimal bridge maintenance planning. The last section of the report comprises an extensive collection of journal papers on structural optimization, published between 1987 and 1999. The citations are presented alphabetically, and are organized by an index grouping the citations according to topic.