Evolutionary structural optimization. (English) Zbl 0898.73003

Xie, Y. M.; Steven, G. P.

Berlin: Springer. xii, 188 p. (1997).

This book bridges the gap between finite element methods and structural optimization by introducing an approach which the authors call evolutionary structural optimization (ESO). The essential idea of the ESO concept is that by slowly removing inefficient material from a structure, the residual shape evolves in the direction of making the structure better. An another important feature of the ESO is its easy adaptivity to practically all aspects of structural behaviour. So, the authors show that the ESO method can successfully work with optimality constraints based on stresses, stiffness/displacements, frequencies, buckling loads etc., with single or multiple environments.
The following chapter headings reflect in detail the topics covered in the book: 1. Introduction; 2. Basic evolutionary structural optimization; 3. ESO for multiple load cases and multiple support environments; 4. Structures with stiffness or displacement constraints; 5. Frequency optimization 6. Optimization against buckling; 7. ESO for pin- and rigid-jointed frames; 8. ESO for shape optimization and the reduction of stress concentrations; 9. ESO computer program Evolve97.
The final chapter describes Evolve97, a software package provided on a diskette accompanying the book. This software, written for Windows 95 and relatively small in size (480 kB), allows readers to implement the ideas of ESO themselves and solve practical optimization problems. Additionally, the diskette contains a useful source code ESOFRAME, written in standard FORTRAN and clarifying size optimization problems.
In reviewer’s opinion, this well-organized and clearly written book can be highly recommended to students, engineers and researchers with an interest in structural design.

Reviewer: O.Titow (Berlin)

MSC:

74-02	Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to mechanics of deformable solids
74P99	Optimization problems in solid mechanics
74S05	Finite element methods applied to problems in solid mechanics
74-04	Software, source code, etc. for problems pertaining to mechanics of deformable solids

Keywords:

frequency optimization; optimization against buckling; stiffness constraints; computer program Evolve97; optimality constraints; multiple load; multiple support environments; displacement constraints; pin- and rigid-jointed frames; shape optimization; reduction of stress concentrations; source code ESOFRAME

Software:

Evolve97; SHAPE; ESOFRAME