Abstract
Steel moment frames are widely used in multi-story buildings due to their advantages such as robust as well as flexibility in architectural planning. This paper proposes a design method of steel moment frames based on an optimization algorithm called Differential Evolution. In the optimization problem, the design variables are the cross-sections of the steel members while the objective function is the total weight of the frame. The frame is designed based on the direct analysis method which is specified in the ANSI/AISC 360-10 "Specification for Structural Steel Buildings". A program, called FrameOpt, is developed using Visual Basic for Application language to implement the optimization algorithm. This program connects to the SAP2000 analysis program for the steel design through the open Application Programming Interface feature. An example is conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method.
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