The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Study of a method of feasible directions for optimal elastic design of framed structures subjected to earthquake loading

Walker, Norman D.; Pister, Karl S.

UCB/EERC-75/39, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1975-12, 101 pages (620/W218/1975)

This report deals with optimum design of elastic single-bay multistory rigid frames subjected to dead loads and earthquake-generated horizontal ground motion. The basis design problem is cast in the format of mathematical programming. Expressions necessary to solve the problem via the nonlinear programming technique of a method of feasible directions are obtained. For a particular choice of design objective and constraint functions, along with a typical pseudo-velocity response spectrum characterizing the ground motion, examples of the design of one-, two-, and eight-story frames are provided. These examples serve to develop insight into the nature of the structural optimization problem under study as well as the operating characteristics of the feasible directions algorithm.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-75-39.pdf (7 MB)