Optimal design of truss structures using ant algorithm

An ant algorithm, consisting of the Ant System and API (after "apicalis" in Pachycondyla apicalis) algorithms, was proposed in this study to find optimal truss structures to achieve minimum weight objective under stress, deflection, and kinematic stability constraints. A two-stage approach was adopted in this study; first, the topology of the truss structure was optimized from a given ground structure employing the Ant System algorithm due to its discrete characteristic, and then the size and/or shape of member was optimized utilizing the API algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed ant algorithm was evaluated through numerous different 2-D and 3-D truss-structure problems. The proposed algorithm was observed to find truss structures better than those reported in the literature. Moreover, multiple different truss topologies with almost equal overall weights can be found simultaneously.