An enhanced simulated annealing algorithm for topology optimization of steel double-layer grid structures

Stochastic optimization methods have been extensively studied for structural optimization in recent decades. In this study, a novel algorithm named the CA-SA method, is proposed for topology optimization of steel double-layer grid structures. The CA-SA method is a hybridized algorithm combining the Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm and the Cellular Automata (CA) method. In the CA-SA method, during the initial iterations of the SA algorithm, some of the preliminary designs obtained by SA are placed in the cells of the CA. In each successive iteration, a cell is randomly chosen from the CA. Then, the "local leader" (LL) is determined by selecting the best design from the chosen cell and its neighboring ones. This LL then serves as the leader for modifying the SA algorithm. To evaluate the performance of the proposed CA-SA algorithm, two square-on-square steel double-layer grid structures are considered, with discrete cross-sectional areas. These numerical examples demonstrate the superiority of the CA-SA method over SA, and other meta-heuristic algorithms reported in the literature in the topology optimization of large-scale skeletal structures.