Constrained Optimization

Most problems in structural optimization must be formulated as constrained minimization problems. In a typical structural design problem the objective function is a fairly simple function of the design variables (e.g., weight), but the design has to satisfy a host of stress, displacement, buckling, and frequency constraints. These constraints are usually complex functions of the design variables available only from an analysis of a finite element model of the structure. This chapter offers a review of methods that are commonly used to solve such constrained problems.