Optimal design of cyclically symmetric trusses with frequency constraints using cyclical parthenogenesis algorithm

Special kinds of structures exhibit repetitive patterns that can be used in the process of structural analysis in order to decrease the required computational time. This is especially helpful when a structure should be analyzed numerous times as in the structural optimization problems. In this article, weight optimization of cyclically symmetric spatial trusses subjected to frequency constraints is performed utilizing such repetitive patterns. Large initial eigenproblems are first decomposed into smaller and less time-consuming problems using an efficient block diagonalization technique. A recently developed meta-heuristic method, cyclical parthenogenesis algorithm, is then utilized to perform the optimization task. Three numerical examples are optimized to illustrate the viability and efficiency of the proposed method.