• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.233-242
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• 1997

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic optimal design of continuous beams. The computer-aided optimization technique is used to obtain the near-optimal parameters of continuous beam. The computer program is developed to obtain the natural frequency parameters and the forced vibration responses to a transit point load for the continuous beam with variable support spacing, mass and stiffness. The model test data is in good agreement with the computer calculation, which serves to validate the mathematical analysis. The optimization function to describe the design efficiency is defined as a linear combination of four dimensionless span characteristics; the maximum dynamic stress; the stress difference between span segments; the rms deflection under the transit point load; and the total span mass. Studies of three span beams show that the beam with near-optimal parameters can improve design efficiency when compared to a uniform beam with even spacing of the same total span length.