• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.431-451
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• 2013

The Big Bang-Big Crunch (BB-BC) optimization algorithm is developed for optimal design of non-linear steel frames with semi-rigid beam-to-column connections. The design algorithm obtains the minimum total cost which comprises total member plus connection costs by selecting suitable sections. Displacement and stress constraints together with the geometry constraints are imposed on the frame in the optimum design procedure. In addition, non-linear analyses considering the P-${\Delta}$ effects of beam-column members are performed during the optimization process. Three design examples with various types of connections are presented and the results show the efficiency of using semi-rigid connection models in comparing to rigid connections. The obtained optimum semi-rigid frames are more economical solutions and lead to more realistic predictions of response and strength of the structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.68 no.6
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• pp.735-745
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• 2018

The Big Bang-Big Crunch (BB-BC) algorithm is an effective global optimization technique of swarm intelligence with drawbacks of being easily trapped in local optimal results and of converging slowly. To overcome these shortages, an improved BB-BC algorithm (IBB-BC) is proposed in this paper with taking some measures, such as altering the reduced form of exploding radius and generating multiple mass centers. The accuracy and efficiency of IBB-BC is examined by different types of benchmark test functions. The IBB-BC is utilized for damage detection of a simply supported beam and the European Space Agency structure with an objective function established by structural frequency and modal data. Two damage scenarios are considered: damage only existed in stiffness and damage existed in both stiffness and mass. IBB-BC is also validated by an existing experimental study. Results demonstrated that IBB-BC is not trapped into local optimal results and is able to detect structural damages precisely even under measurement noise.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2024

The effectiveness of coupling with a bolted rim is assessed in this research using a newly designed optimization algorithm. The current study, which is provided here, evaluates 10 contemporary metaheuristic approaches for enhancing the coupling with bolted rim design problem. The algorithms used are particle swarm optimization (PSO), crow search algorithm (CSA), enhanced honeybee mating optimization (EHBMO), Harmony search algorithm (HSA), Krill heard algorithm (KHA), Pattern search algorithm (PSA), Charged system search algorithm (CSSA), Salp swarm algorithm (SSA), Big bang big crunch optimization (B-BBBCO), Gradient based Algorithm (GBA). The contribution of the paper isto optimize the coupling with bolted rim problem by comparing these 10 algorithms and to find which algorithm gives the best optimized result. These algorithm's performance is evaluated statistically and subjectively.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2017

This study presents the Big Bang and Big Crunch (BB-BC) optimization algorithm for detection of structure damage in large severity. Local damage is represented by a perturbation in the elemental stiffness parameter of the structural finite element model. A nonlinear objective function is established by minimizing the discrepancies between the measured and calculated acceleration responses (AR) of the structure. The BB-BC algorithm is utilized to solve the objective function, which can localize the damage position and obtain the severity of the damage efficiently. Numerical simulations have been conducted to identify both single and multiple structural damages for beam, plate and European Space Agency Structures. The present approach gives accurate identification results with artificial measurement noise.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.323-347
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• 2014

This paper proposes a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, which is improved by making use of the Harmony Search (HS) approach and called HS-PSO algorithm. A computer code is developed for optimal sizing design of non-linear steel frames with various semi-rigid and rigid beam-to-column connections based on the HS-PSO algorithm. The developed code selects suitable sections for beams and columns, from a standard set of steel sections such as American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) wide-flange W-shapes, such that the minimum total cost, which comprises total member plus connection costs, is obtained. Stress and displacement constraints of AISC-LRFD code together with the size constraints are imposed on the frame in the optimal design procedure. The nonlinear moment-rotation behavior of connections is modeled using the Frye-Morris polynomial model. Moreover, the P-${\Delta}$ effects of beam-column members are taken into account in the non-linear structural analysis. Three benchmark design examples with several types of connections are presented and the results are compared with those of standard PSO and of other researches as well. The comparison shows that the proposed HS-PSO algorithm performs better both than the PSO and the Big Bang-Big Crunch (BB-BC) methods.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.237-251
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• 2021

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of the proposed hybrid teaching-learning based optimization algorithm on the optimum design of reinforced concrete (RC) cantilever retaining walls. For this purpose, three different design examples are optimized with 100 independent runs considering continuous and discrete variables. In order to determine the algorithm performance, the optimization results were compared with the outcomes of the nine powerful meta-heuristic algorithms applied to this problem, previously: the big bang-big crunch (BB-BC), the biogeography based optimization (BBO), the flower pollination (FPA), the grey wolf optimization (GWO), the harmony search (HS), the particle swarm optimization (PSO), the teaching-learning based optimization (TLBO), the jaya (JA), and Rao-3 algorithms. Moreover, Rao-1 and Rao-2 algorithms are applied to this design problem for the first time. The objective function is defined as minimizing the total material and labor costs including concrete, steel, and formwork per unit length of the cantilever retaining walls subjected to the requirements of the American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-05). Furthermore, the effects of peak ground acceleration value on minimum total cost is investigated using various stem height, surcharge loads, and backfill slope angle. Finally, the most robust results were obtained by HTLBO with 50 populations. Consequently the optimization results show that, depending on the increase in PGA value, the optimum cost of RC cantilever retaining walls increases smoothly with the stem height but increases rapidly with the surcharge loads and backfill slope angle.