DEVELOPMENT OF A WOODEN TRUSS OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE BY THE HARMONY SEARCH METHOD

Resumo

The optimization algorithms are efficient tools for structural design, reaching optimal solutions for a
given problem through a systematic search method. In this way, the engineer is able to design technically viable
structures that have the lowest cost, regardless of their previous experience. The Harmony Search method is a
heuristic that makes an analogy to the musical improvisation of jazz, where musicians generate from their own
memory new combinations of notes among instruments, looking for the perfect harmony. This paper shows the
development of a software in C# that perform the structural analysis of isostatic plane trusses and, thereafter, the
parametric optimization of the structure, using the Harmonic Search process. In order to reduce the cost, the
objective function is the truss weight, which should be minimized by determining the optimum base dimensions
and height of the cross section. To ensure that the solution is feasible, the constraints imposed by the revision
version of Brazilian code ABNT NBR 7190/2013 must be met. The parameters of the optimization algorithm were
studied, seeking a better calibration to the specific problem of this research. To validate the program, wooden
gable roof structures are tested.