Dynamic programming in minimum weight design of shells

Abstract

SUMMARYIn designing a structure for a given purpose, the designer should aim at the most economical design from many points of view. Minimum weight designs may not be the most economical ones. Nevertheless, such designs provide insights into other types of design and may pave ways for improvements in design procedures. Minimum weight designs of continuum structures may be formulated as numerical optimization problems using either the finite difference method or the finite element method, and the resulting minimization problem may be solved using techniques of numerical optimization. This paper, on the other hand, considers the formulation of the minimum weight design of a spherical cap as a dynamic programming problem and its solution. The paper also discusses the advantages and limitations of the approach.