This paper presents an improved MAGNETIC CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (IMCSS) and open application programming interface (OAPI) for optimization of double layer barrel vaults. In IMCSS algorithm, MAGNETIC CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (MCSS) and an improved scheme of harmony SEARCH (IHS) are utilized and some of the most important parameters in the convergence rate of HS scheme are improved to achieve a good convergence and good solutions especially in final iterations. The OAPI is also utilized for the process of structural analysis, to link the analysis software with the IMCSS algorithm through the programming language. The results demonstrate the efficiency of OAPI as a powerful interface tool for analysis of large-scale structures such as double layer barrel vaults and also the robustness of the IMCSS as an optimization algorithm in fast convergence and achieving the optimal results.

The objective of this paper is to present an optimal design for single-layer barrel vault frames via improved MAGNETIC CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (IMCSS) and open application programming interface (OAPI). The IMCSS algorithm is utilized as the optimization algorithm and the OAPI is used as an interface tool between analysis software and the programming language. In the proposed algorithm, MAGNETIC CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (MCSS) and improved harmony SEARCH (IHS) are utilized to achieve a good convergence and good solutions especially in final iterations. The results confirm the efficiency of OAPI as a powerful interface tool in the analysis process of barrel vault structures and also the ability of IMCSS algorithm in fast convergence and achieving optimal results.

Chaos is embedded to the he CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS) to solve practical optimization problems. To improve the ability of global SEARCH, different chaotic maps are introduced and three chaotic-CSS methods are developed. A comparison of these variants and the standard CSS demonstrates the superiority and suitability of the selected variants for practical civil optimization problems.

Tunnel structures are known as expensive infrastructures and determining optimum designs of these structures can play a great role in minimizing their cost. The formulation of optimum design of industrial tunnel sections as an optimization is considered in this paper and then the enhanced CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH, as a recently developed meta-heuristic approach, has been applied to solve the problem. The results and comparisons based on numerical examples show the efficiency of the optimization algorithm.

The CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS) is combined to chaos to solve mathematical global optimization problems. The CSS is a recently developed meta-heuristic optimization technique inspired by the governing laws of physics and mechanics. The present study introduces chaos into the CSS in order to increase its global SEARCH mobility for a better global optimization. Nine chaos-based CSS (CCSS) methods are developed, and then for each variant, the performance of ten different chaotic maps is investigated to identify the most powerful variant. A comparison of these variants and the standard CSS demonstrates the superiority and suitability of the selected variants for the benchmark mathematical optimization problems.

In this paper, the recently developed meta-heuristic optimization algorithm, known as the CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS), is utilized for the problems of facility locations on a network.The CSS is an optimization algorithm that acts on the basis of the interaction between CHARGED particles (CPs) considering the governing laws of Coulomb and Gauss from electrical physics and laws of motion from Newtonian mechanics.

Hyperbolic structures are grid- based space structures. The shape of the structures is similar to a square with fillet edges. If the mid-point of the square sides is connected in orthogonal x and y directions, the "+" shaped configuration remains at its position if the edges become even more curved and their elevation (z coordinates) do not change. Nonetheless, the elevation of the remaining points changes and form the hyperbolic structure. The application of hyperbolic structures is in covering long-span. In this study, a particular hyperbolic structure is optimized both in terms of shape and size. The CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS) algorithm is used to carry out the optimization. Subsequently, optimization results are compared with corresponding results from the genetic algorithm method.

1. Introduction: With increasing demand for large scale and complex structural models, optimum design has become a challenging and important issue in structural engineering and meta-heuristic algorithms have become powerful tools for optimal design of structures. CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS) is one of the meta-heuristics, inspired by the governing laws of electrical physics and the Newtonian mechanics, Kaveh and Talatahari (2010). CSS based optimum design of structures needs adjustments for variable based and problem based constraints. …

Composite open channel structures are an expensive infrastructure in terms of material, construction and maintenance, and therefore finding the optimum design becomes an important issue. This paper develops four different models for composite open channel and applies a new optimization algorithm to determine the optimal design of these models. The new algorithm called CHARGED SYSTEM SEARCH (CSS) is inspired by the governing laws from electrostatics physics and mechanics. CSS is a multi-agent approach and each agent is a CHARGED Particle (CP) which can affect others based on their fitness values and their separation distances. The results of the CSS are compared to those of ant colony optimization and the genetic algorithm method to highlight its superiority for determining the optimum design of composite open channel structures.