Utilization of harmony search algorithm in optimal structural design of cold-formed steel structures

The most important concern for structural design engineers is, nowadays, how to design and build a structure which is really sustainable. The course to design and construct of buildings has to be urgently changed if the overall carbon dioxide emission would like to be reduced. Otherwise, the increase in global warming arising out of building construction will continue in a great majority. The application of cold-formed steel skeleton frames increasingly in building trade makes possible sustainable structures. In this study a harmony search algorithm (HSA) and an improved version, called as adaptive harmony search (AHSA) algorithm to obtain optimum design of cold-formed steel frames. These algorithms choose the cold-formed thin-walled C-sections treated as design variables from a list in AISI-LRFD (American Iron and Steel Institution, Load and Resistance Factor Design). This selection minimize the weight of the cold-formed steel frame while the design constraints specified by the code are satisfied. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017.