Layout optimization of truss structures by hybridizing cellular automata and particle swarm optimization

•An efficient algorithm is proposed for layout optimization of truss structures.•Computational merits of CA and PSO are hybridized.•The proposed algorithm has faster convergence rate compared with other algorithms.•The proposed algorithm finds lighter solutions compared with other algorithms.

The main contribution of the present paper is to propose an efficient hybrid optimization algorithm for layout optimization of truss structures. To achieve this, computational merits of the cellular automata (CA) and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) are integrated. In the proposed hybrid algorithm a CA-based mechanism is utilized as the velocity updating equation of the particles in the framework of the sequential unconstrained minimization techniques and therefore it is denoted as sequential cellular PSO (SCPSO). The numerical results demonstrate that SCPSO not only converges to better solutions but also provides faster convergence rate in comparison with other algorithms.