Integrated design algorithm for branching structures

Abstract

Branching structures comprise slender beam members that may cause the buckling of entire structures due to compression. An intelligent design algorithm for branching structures is proposed to facilitate the design of branching structures. The branching can be automatically generated by giving loads and truss position. This algorithm consists of three parts, namely, form-finding algorithm, buckling optimization algorithm, and topology optimization algorithm. With this intelligent design algorithm, the moment of the branching members can be removed; the geometrical length of members can be optimized according to the buckling constraints; and the effective members can be automatically selected from the ground structures and the sectional size can be automatically determined simultaneously. This work can be efficiently utilized for the engineering in the design of branching structures.

Keywords:

• Branching structure
• buckling optimization
• form-finding analysis
• ground structure
• topology optimization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Data available upon request from the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this article was financially supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant no. 2021T140116) and Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds (No. 2020Z356).