ABSTRACT
Genetic algorithms are optimization methods based on biological evolution and are applied in this paper to optimize a space truss. The goal is to develop a design, able to withstand the acting loads with a minimum of material. During this process the construction may fail due to different mechanisms. The Euler buckling of a truss member has to be avoided, the stresses in the bars and the displacements of the nodes must be limited. Besides these usual constraints the overall buckling is also taken into account. In this paper a program is developed which will first be validated by means of an example described in the literature. Secondly, this program is extended to optimize a space truss dome.
