A distributed ant colony algorithm for topological optimization of 2D structural domains

In this paper a topology optimization procedure based on an Ant Colony algorithm for the best design of a bidimensional structural domain is discussed. The originally combinatorial-focused ant colony paradigm has been here adapted to find the best shape of statically fixed plates with concentrated loads. In order to increase the intrinsic low computational efficiency of the procedure, a distributed version of a modular ant colony has been implemented and used in conjunction with a commercial FEM engine. To further speed-up the optimization procedure, a specific GPU-based morphological agent was also developed to adjust in real-time weak structures generated by connectivity issues. Two test-cases already discussed in the literature have been analyzed. In both examples, the ant colony procedure has proved to reach satisfactorily and in a reasonable time the best topological arrangement according to the theoretical solutions. Key words: topology optimization,