Simultaneous analysis, design and optimization of trusses via force method

In this paper, the Colliding Bodies Optimization (CBO), Enhanced Colliding Bodies Optimization (ECBO) and Vibrating Particles System (VPS) algorithms and the force method are used for the simultaneous analysis and design of truss structures. The presented technique is applied to the design and analysis of some planer and spatial trusses. An efficient method is introduced using the CBO, ECBO and VPS to design trusses having members of prescribed stress ratios. Finally, the minimum weight design of truss structures is formulated using the CBO, ECBO and VPS algorithms and applied to some benchmark problems from literature. These problems have been designed by using displacement method as analyzer, and here these are solved for the first time using the force method. The accuracy and efficiency of the presented method is examined by comparing the resulting design parameters and structural weight with those of other existing methods.