Basic concepts. Design variables, objectives and constraints. Optimal sizing, shape and topology design problems for skeletal and 2D structures. Continuous and discrete optimal design problems. Methods of mathematical programming. Linear programming problem, simplex method and interior point methods. Nonlinear programming. Approximate methods of solution. Duality principle. Optimality criteria methods, fully stresses design and redesign formulas. Applications with Excel, Fortran and Matlab. Sensitivity analysis, approximate methods. Accuracy and reliability of sensitivity analysis methods. Sensitivity analysis of skeletal and 2D structures analyzed with the finite element method. Direct method of sensitivity analysis. Adjoint method. Applications by using the finite element method computer program NASTRAN. Discrete optimization problems. Some basic problems of integer programming. Dynamic programming, simple applications. Genetic algorithms- evolutionary optimization algorithms. Applications to structural design problems.

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