A neural dynamics model is presented for optimal design of structures.
The Lyapunov function is used to develop the neural dynamics structur
al optimization model and prove its stability. An exterior penalty fun
ction method is adopted to formulate an objective function for the gen
eral constrained structural optimization problem in the form of the Ly
apunov function. A learning rule is developed by integrating the Kuhn-
Tucker necessary condition for a local minimum with the formulated Lya
punov function. The topology of the neural dynamics model consists of
two distinct layers: variable layer and constraint layer. The numbers
of nodes in the variable and constraint layers correspond to the numbe
rs of design variables and constraints in the structural optimization
problem. Both excitatory and inhibitory connection types are used for
adjusting the states of the nodes. In addition to commonly-used inter-
layer connections, recurrent connections are used to represent the gra
dient information of the objective function. In a companion paper the
neural dynamics model is applied to optimum plastic design of steel st
ructures.