Optimization of Transmission Tower using Genetic Algorithm

Transmission line towers constitute about 28 to 42 percent of the total cost of the transmission lines. The increasing demand for electrical energy can be met more economically by developing different light weight configurations of transmission line towers. Therefore, it is very important to find an optimal design for the transmission tower that would give the minimum weight. Optimization plays an important role in structural design, the very purpose of which is to find the best ways so that a designer or a decision maker can derive a maximum benefit from the available resources. The basic idea behind intuitive or indirect design in engineering is the memory of past experiences, subconscious motives, incomplete logical processes, random selections or sometimes mere superstition. This, in general, will not lead to the best design. The shortcomings of the indirect design can be overcome by adopting a direct or optimal design procedure. The feature of the design optimization is that it consists of only logical decisions. In making a logical decision, one sets out the constraints and then minimizes or maximizes the objective function (which could be either cost, weight or merit function). In the present study, the weight of the transmission tower was optimized while keeping the base width, height and basic outline of the tower constant. The structure was modeled and analysed in ANSYS 16.2. The optimization method selected was Genetic Algorithm. The optimized value was obtained by interfacing ANSYS with MATLAB.