Optimal Design of Multi-Stage Structures: A Basis Factorization Approach.

摘要

The problem of designing multi-stage planar trusses for minimal weight over a class of feasible member sizes and configurations has been formulated as a linear program with a staircase matrix. Such a matrix has nonzero coefficients only in diagonal and subdiagonal blocks. A special variant of the revised simplex method which exploits this feature for computational and data handling efficiency is developed and implemented. The technique is based on a block LU factorization of the basis matrix. Computational experience with the structural design problem is presented. (ERA citation 02:060595)