Analysis of Plane-Stress Systems via Total Potential Optimization Method Considering Nonlinear Behavior

AbstractAs an alternative structural analysis method, total potential optimization using metaheuristic algorithms (TPO/MAs) has been demonstrated to be very effective, especially in nonlinear cases, for trusses and trusslike systems such as tensegric structures and cable networks. A recent study showed that TPO/MAs also can be applied successfully to plane-stress problems with linear constitutive equations. The present study enlarged the application area of TPO/MAs to the analysis of plates for plane-stress cases with nonlinear stress–strain equations. A relevant formulation was developed and used to solve five problems. Because TPO/MAs can be applied by using different metaheuristic algorithms, a number of them, some hybrid, were used, and they were compared among themselves and with finite-element solutions. The final example was a tunnel problem with 150 nodes, i.e., with 265 unknowns. This problem also was solved via hybrid algorithms. Several proposals for future research are listed.