- Date: 2015 Jan 28
- Authors: مجتبی شیخی ازغندی
- Keywords: geometry optimization; hybrid optimization method; frame structure; imperialist competitive
algorithm; ant colony optimization
This paper describes new optimization strategy that offers significant improvements in
performance over existing methods for geometry design of frame structures. In this study, an imperialist
competitive algorithm (ICA) and ant colony optimization (ACO) are combined to reach to an efficient
algorithm, called Imperialist Competitive Ant Colony Optimization (ICACO). The ICACO applies the ICA
for global optimization and the ACO for local search. The results of optimal geometry for three benchmark
examples of frame structures, demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the new method presented in
this work. The results indicate that the new technique has a powerful search strategies due to the
modifications made in search module of ICACO. Higher rate of convergence is the superiority of the
presented algorithm in comparison with the conventional mathematical methods and non hybrid heuristic
methods such as ICA and particle swarm optimization (PSO).