OPTIMIZATION OF STEEL MOMENT FRAME BY A PROPOSED EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM

This paper presents an improved multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (IMOEA) for the design of planar steel frames. By considering constraints as a new objective function, single objective optimization problems turned to multi objective optimization problems. To increase efficiency of IMOEA different Crossover and Mutation are employed. Also to avoid local optima dynamic interference of mutation and crossover are considered. Feasible particles called elites which are very helpful for better mutation and crossover considered as a tool to increase efficiency of proposed algorithm. The proposed evolutionary algorithm (IMOEA) is utilized to solve three well-known classical weight minimization problems of steel moment frames. In order to verify the suitability of the present method, the results of optimum design for planar steel frames are obtained by present study compared to other researches. Results indicate that, as far as the convergence, speed of the optimization process and quality of optimum design are concerned behavior, IMOEA is significantly superior to other meta-heuristic optimization algorithms with an acceptable global answer.

Keywords:

frame design , metaheuristic optimization algorithms , evolutionary algorithm , constraint handling , Structural optimization.