Abstract: Optimality conditions for grillages of maximum strength and maximum stiffness and fiber-reinforced plates of maximum strength are discussed in the light of Prager’s theories of optimal design and ...

Abstract: In optimizing plane flexural systems such as grillages and fiber-reinforced plates of a prescribed depth, the solution can now be obtained relatively easily for any combination of clamped and ...

Abstract: Using a dual variational formulation, criteria for bounds on the minimum cost of rigid, perfectly plastic structures are derived. The results are used to point out a duality which exists between ...

Abstract: In piece-wise linear programming (PLP), the objective function is convex and piece-wise linear and the constraints are linear. The PLP algorithm is described in detail and the advantages of ...

Abstract: The Prager-Shield condition is used for determining optimal layouts with an upper limit on the member sizes. The above extended theory is then applied to grillages and it is shown that both the primal problem (stress-field) ...

Abstract: Structural layout theory is based on two underlying concepts, i.e., the Prager‐Shield theory of plastic design and the notion of “structural universe.” In this paper, optimal layout theory is extended to allow for the ...