Structural Optimization is intended to supplement the engineer’s box of analysis and design tools making optimization as commonplace as the finite element method in the workplace. This book brings the methods of structural optimization into common usage like those of the finite element method. Providing the structural engineer with the right analysis tools and optimization tools.Drawing upon years of practical experience and using numerous examples and illustrative applications, Keith MacBain and William Spillers discuss:Structural optimization and the methods of nonlinear programming such as Lagrange multipliers, Kuhn-Tucker conditions, and calculus of variationsSolution methods for optimization problems emphasizing the classic method of linear programming and the method of sequential linear programmingUsing sequential linear programming together with the incremental equations of structures as a general approach for structural optimization.Structural Optimization will be of interest to structural engineers, mechanical engineers, aerospace engineers and architects, particularly those who use the finite element method and want to include optimization in their designs.