BASO v.2.0

BASO is a computer application that optimizes the laminated steel profiles of the most common Spanish series or any other profile in double T-shape so as to take advantage of the maximum strength of a given material.

The program considers different cross-sectional dimensions such as the length and the thickness of the flanges and the web as design variables in all cases, while maintaining the essential features of each profile. For instance, the program keeps the flange length and the web height equal for the HEB profile to preserve the feature of this particular profile type.

BASO solves two sorts of problems:

1. Profile optimization of double T-shape under pure bending
2. Profile optimization of a bar under a generic combination of inner forces

The conditions considered in optimization problem number 1 are included in the Spanish Standard, EA-95, for sections under pure bending:

• Local buckling of the compressed flange
• Web buckling
• Yielding of material

The conditions considered in the optimization problem No.2 are included in the Standard for any type of loading:

• Absence of elastic fatigue in any point of the bar cross sections (9 conditions)
• Non-existence of global instabilities (3 conditions)
• Security under local instabilities (3 conditions)

The methods used for this problem may be found in the book named, "Métodos de Diseño Óptimo de Estructuras (Santiago Hernández, 1990)".

BASO provides a data table of Spanish profile series, HEA, HEB, HEM, IPE as well as the optimized profiles with efficiency indexes.

The BASO optimization module is the DOT program (VMA Engineering) containing three optimization algorithms.