Optimal design of 3D special steel buckling‐restrained braced structures

Summary In the current study, the optimal design of 3D frames equipped with buckling restrained braces is presented. The objective function in the optimization problem is considered as weight minimization subjected to serviceability and strength requirements. Three different metaheuristic algorithms including Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm, and Discrete Firefly Algorithm (DFA) are utalized to solve the optimization problem. Response spectrum analysis is considered to examine the performance of the structures during the optimization process under applied loads. Two real‐size steel structures with buckling restrained braces are selected to perform optimal design. The results demonstrate that the TLBO algorithm has better performance in discrete structural optimization.