Design of structures using parametric quadratic programming

This paper presents a method for the interactive analysis design of planar steel trusses. Given an initial feasible design, that is, a design that satisfies stress and displacement performance conditions, and fabrication conditions, a parametric analysis is used to identify the extent to which one or two members can be redesigned while still satisfying design feasibility. The parametric analysis is obtained from the solution of a parametric Hessian quadratic programming problem (PHQP). The analysisdesign methodology is demonstrated with a three member truss.