We consider a numerical approach for the solution of a difficult class of optimization problems called mathematical programs with vanishing constraints. The basic idea is to reformulate the characteristic constraints of the program via a nonsmooth function and to eventually smooth it and...

Several variants of an outer approximation method are proposed to solve truss topology optimization problems with discrete design variables to proven global optimality. The objective is to minimize the volume of the structure while satisfying constraints on the global stiffness of the structure...