Optimizing Truss Structure - A Comparision Between Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) And Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA)

Abstract

The main focus of this thesis is optimizing structures (we consider a truss structure in this thesis) using topology optimization method (minimizing the weight, displacement and stress specified by the American Institute Steel Construction).The papers introduced in this thesis are called Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), a meta-heuristics based on real-life activities of the grey wolves in nature and Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA), a nature-inspired meta-heuristic algorithm related to the transfer of pollen. Later on, Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied, a technique using numerical analysis for solving problems of engineering and mathematical physic (in this case are the elements of mechanical structure) to approach all wanted constraints. In the end, after the optimization process, a truss structure is developed and then compared to a complete model with the minimized weight, cross-sectional area and material cost to test its effectiveness. Keywords: Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Finite Element Method (FEM), Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA), Truss Structure Optimization, Mechanical Problems.