Optimum Discrete Design of Steel Planar Trusses Comprising Earthquake Load Impact

In this study, the success of teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) and biogeography-based optimization (BBO) metaheuristic methods in optimum discrete sizing design of a steel planar truss comprising earthquake load impact has been investigated. To do this, a 46-element steel planar truss has been handled as a design example. Like many other stochastic optimization methods, the TLBO and BBO techniques imitate specific natural events. In TLBO, the processes are carried out by mimicking a class consisting of teachers and students; on the other hand, the BBO simulates the distribution of species in nature based on biodiversity. The stress and displacement constraints in American Institute of Steel Construction-Allowable Stress Design (AISC-ASD) provisions are considered as structural behavior constraints. Both algorithms select design profiles from a discrete list containing steel W-shaped sections. For obtaining the minimum weighted optimum structural design, the algorithms encoded in MATLAB are supplied with open application programming interface (OAPI) functions that enable mutual data transfer with a structural analysis software (SAP2000) to practically get the structural responses under the effect of load combinations containing earthquake load. The optimal truss designs yielded with TLBO and BBO algorithms are compared with those already existed in the literature. Accordingly, it has been concluded that the TLBO and BBO algorithms give successful solutions.