Design of clamped columns for maximizing the axial displacement at buckling
In this paper, the problem of optimal design of columns clamped at both ends under loading controlled by displacement is investigated. A cross-sectional area varying along the axis of the column, which leads to the maximal axial displacement caused by compression before the structure buckles is sought. The unimodal and bimodal problems are considered. The optimal solutions for different constraints of minimal and maximal cross-sectional area and various elastic foundation responses are presented in the paper. The results are obtained by solving a variational formulation of the optimisation problem or by using numerical optimisation methods, namely, the method of moving asymptotes and the algorithm of simulated annealing.
clamped column buckling structural optimisation critical displacement