Effect of Levy Flight on the discrete optimum design of steel skeletal structures using metaheuristics

Metaheuristic algorithms in general make use of uniform random numbers in their search for optimum designs. Levy Flight (LF) is a random walk consisting of a series of consecutive random steps. The use of LF instead of uniform random numbers improves the performance of metaheuristic algorithms. In this study, three discrete optimum design algorithms are developed for steel skeletal structures each of which is based on one of the recent metaheuristic algorithms. These are biogeography-based optimization (BBO), brain storm optimization (BSO), and artificial bee colony optimization (ABC) algorithms. The optimum design problem of steel skeletal structures is formulated considering LRFD-AISC code provisions and W-sections for frames members and pipe sections for truss members are selected from available section lists. The minimum weight of steel structures is taken as the objective function. The number of steel skeletal structures is designed by using the algorithms developed and effect of LF is investigated. It is noticed that use of LF results in up to 14% lighter optimum structures.