LayOpt: an educational web-app for truss layout optimization

Abstract A new interactive truss layout optimization web-app has been developed for educational use. This designed to be used on a range of devices, from mobile phones desktop PCs. Truss designs are first generated via numerical and then rationalized geometry optimization. It is shown that these can simplified using computationally inexpensive process allows the user control trade-off between complexity structural volume. The involves use smooth Heaviside representations member existence variables, with nodal slack forces employed allow unstable intermediate structures. Full details provided in this contribution, underlying formulation cloud computing implementation. examples demonstrate efficacy web-app, show how it potentially practical engineering settings.