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The aim of this document is to introduce a brand new tool for optimization of civil engineering structures developed by SCIA and to demonstrate how it can be helpful and effective to everybody who deals with structural design.
SCIA Engineer Optimizer is an example of a new generation of software for the design of structures. It is software which calculates internal forces, checks the compliance to the code, and on top of that, this software is able to “find” the final optimal structural design.
It represents a combination of the widespread structural analysis software - SCIA Engineer - and a separate optimization engine (EOT – Engineering Optimization Tool). The two programs have been integrated together and offer a versatile and complete optimization solution for all types of civil engineering structures.
SCIA Engineer Optimizer is very general and flexible because the demands which need to be considered during a really optimal structural design are also rather complex and general. However, thanks to the power of the current computational technologies, all requirements for cost reduction, material savings and environmental protection can be now easily met. Despite the complexity of the general optimization, the optimization process itself is not complicated and this manual will lead you how to proceed.
Once all the required input data are entered, i.e. the model of the analysed structure is defined, the search for the optimal solution runs fully automatically and no interaction from the user is required. For real-life problems several optimal solutions can be found. In such situations, it is up to the user to make the final decision.
Depending on our requirements we may seek different targets. The goal of the optimization depends on us: is it the total weight, costs, eigen frequency or something else. And with respect to the goal, there are many possibilities of what can be optimized, what means, which properties or parameters of the structure are to be changed to reach the optimum: geometry, cross-sections, reinforcement, prestressing, structural arrangement and others.
As the constraints we use various values obtained from SCIA Engineer analysis: unity check, capacity, eigen frequency, deflection etc.
This example shows the optimization of the geometrical shape with the aim to reach the minimum mass of a steel truss girder with respect to fulfilling the capacity according to for 1st limit state code check implemented in SCIA Engineer (EC3 in this case).
The structure is a simply supported truss girder with the span of 10 metres, see the next picture. The goal of optimization is find optimal height of the truss (which will most probably vary along the girder length, see results at the end of this tutorial).
All members have tubular cross-sections but the thickness and diameter are variable. However both values have to be within certain limitations.
