Optimum stiffener spacing in stiffened hollow glulam beams based on particle swarm optimization

Abstract

To optimize the mechanical performance of stiffened hollow glulam beams, this paper proposes a stiffener spacing optimization method based on the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. With the ratio of the beam's ultimate load-bearing capacity to its volume as the objective function, the influence of stiffener quantity and spacing on the load-bearing capacity of stiffened hollow glulam beams was analyzed iteratively. A parametric finite element model was developed in Abaqus to accommodate variable flange thicknesses and different numbers of stiffeners. The model was validated against experimental data, followed by a comparative analysis of the computational results before and after optimization for cases with varying stiffener counts. The results indicate that, compared to the equally spaced layout, the PSO-optimized scheme can significantly enhance the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the structure. For a certain number of stiffeners, an equally spaced arrangement may fail to cover key load-bearing regions, restricts the full utilization of the load-bearing potential. In contrast, the optimized layout prioritizes the placement of stiffeners at these critical locations, thereby improving stress distribution. Consequently, under the same material usage, the load-bearing efficiency is improved, and the load-bearing capacity increases with the number of stiffeners.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Structures, 2026 · DOI ↗