Abstract
The “hard-kill” optimization methods such as evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) and bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) may result in a nonoptimal design (Zhou and Rozvany in Struct Multidisc Optim 21:80–83, 2001) when these methods are implemented and used inadequately. This note further examines this important problem and shows that failure of ESO may occur when a prescribed boundary support is broken for a statically indeterminate structure. When a boundary support is broken, the structural system could be completely changed from the one originally defined in the initial design and even BESO would not be able to rectify the nonoptimal design. To avoid this problem, it is imperative that the prescribed boundary conditions for the structure be checked and maintained at each iteration during the optimization process. Several simple procedures for solving this problem are suggested. The benchmark problem proposed by Zhou and Rozvany (Struct Multidisc Optim 21:80–83, 2001) is revisited, and it is shown that the highly nonoptimal design can be easily avoided.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bendsøe MP, Kikuchi N (1988) Generating optimal topologies in structural design using a homogenization method. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 71:197–224
Burns TE, Tortorelli DA (2003) An element removal and reintroduction strategy for the topology optimization of structures and compliant mechanisms. Int J Numer Methods Eng 57:1413–1430
Chu DN, Xie YM, Hira A, Steven GP (1996) Evolutionary structural optimization for problems with stiffness constraints. Finite Elem Anal Des 21:239–251
Edwards CS, Kim HA, Budd CJ (2007) An evaluative study on ESO and SIMP for optimizing a cantilever tie-beam. Struct Multidisc Optim (in press)
Li Q, Steven GP, Xie YM (1999) Shape and topology design for heat conduction by evolutionary structural optimization. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 42:3361–3371
Tanskanen P (2002) The evolutionary structural optimization method: theoretical aspects. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 191:5485–5498
Xie YM, Steven GP (1993) A simple evolutionary procedure for structural optimization. Comput Struct 49:885–896
Xie YM, Steven GP (1997) Evolutionary structural optimization. Springer, Berlin
Yang XY, Xie YM, Steven GP, Querin OM (1999) Bidirectional evolutionary method for stiffness optimization. AIAA J 37(11):1483–1488
Zhou M, Rozvany GIN (1991) The COC algorithm, part II: topological, geometry and generalized shape optimization. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 89:197–224
Zhou M, Rozvany GIN (2001) On the validity of ESO type methods in topology optimization. Struct Multidisc Optim 21:80–83
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, X., Xie, Y.M. A new look at ESO and BESO optimization methods. Struct Multidisc Optim 35, 89–92 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-007-0140-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-007-0140-4