Structural dynamic optimal design based on dynamic reliability

In this work, dimension and shape optimization of structures under stochastic process excitation is addressed in the context of element or system dynamic reliability constraints, where the structural gross mass is taken to be the objective function. Firstly, based on the dynamic response analysis of truss structures under stochastic process loads, the dynamic reliability constraints are developed and simplified, and the normalization of design variables is discussed to avoid some variables being drowned by others during optimization due to their different dimensions and orders of magnitude. The optimal models of dimension and shape with element or system dynamic reliability constraints are then presented. Two numerical examples are finally used to illustrate the results of different optimal designs, which demonstrate that the efficiency to solve the structural optimization with dynamic reliability constraints can be significantly improved if the design variables and their initial values are selected properly.