With the fast development of computational mechanics and the capacity as well as the speed of modern computers,simulation-based structural optimization has become an indispensable tool in the design process of competitive products.This paper presents a brief description of the current status of structural optimization by reviewing some significant progress made in the last decades.Potential research topics are also discussed.The entire literatures of the field are not covered due to the limitation of the length of paper.The scope of this review is limited and closely related to the authors' own research interests.
Xu Guo·Geng-Dong Cheng State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment,Department of Engineering Mechanics,Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023,China