SOME PROBLEMS CONCERNING SINGULARITIES OF OPTIMAL BEAMS AND COLUMNS.

A survey is presented of possible types of inner singularities of the optimal solutions. This paper deals with certain problems connected with the optimal design of slender, elastic, single-purpose beams. Assuming the volume, length, shape of cross-section and material of the beam to be given, the optimal beam design is obtained by maximizing a performance index such as the beam stiffness for given static load, the fundamental frequency of transverse vibrations, or the Euler buckling load.