This book covers different aspects of real-world applications of optimization algorithms. It provides insights from the Sixth International Conference on Harmony Search, Soft Computing and Applications held at Istanbul University, Turkey, in July 2020. Harmony Search (HS) is one of the most popular metaheuristic algorithms, developed in 2001 by Prof. Joong Hoon Kim and Prof. Zong Woo Geem, that mimics the improvisation process of jazz musicians to seek the best harmony. The book consists of research articles on novel and newly proposed optimization algorithms; the theoretical study of nature-inspired optimization algorithms; numerically established results of nature-inspired optimization algorithms; and real-world applications of optimization algorithms and synthetic benchmarking of optimization algorithms.

This book gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of information technology in civil and building engineering, presented at the 18th International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering (ICCCBE), São Paulo, Brazil, August 18-20, 2020. It covers highly diverse topics such as BIM, construction information modeling, knowledge management, GIS, GPS, laser scanning, sensors, monitoring, VR/AR, computer-aided construction, product and process modeling, big data and IoT, cooperative design, mobile computing, simulation, structural health monitoring, computer-aided structural control and analysis, ICT in geotechnical engineering, computational mechanics, asset management, maintenance, urban planning, facility management, and smart cities. Written by leading researchers and engineers, and selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, the contributions highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

Due to an ever-decreasing supply in raw materials and stringent constraints on conventional energy sources, demand for lightweight, efficient and low-cost structures has become crucially important in modern engineering design. This requires engineers to search for optimal and robust design options to address design problems that are commonly large in scale and highly nonlinear, making finding solutions challenging. In the past two decades, metaheuristic algorithms have shown promising power, efficiency and versatility in solving these difficult optimization problems. This book examines the latest developments of metaheuristics and their applications in structural engineering, construction engineering and earthquake engineering, offering practical case studies as examples to demonstrate real-world applications. Topics cover a range of areas within engineering, including big bang-big crunch approach, genetic algorithms, genetic programming, harmony search, swarm intelligence and some other metaheuristic methods. Case studies include structural identification, vibration analysis and control, topology optimization, transport infrastructure design, design of reinforced concrete, performance-based design of structures and smart pavement management. With its wide range of everyday problems and solutions, Metaheursitic Applications in Structures and Infrastructures can serve as a supplementary text for design courses and computation in engineering as well as a reference for researchers and engineers in metaheuristics, optimization in civil engineering and computational intelligence. Review of the latest development of metaheuristics in engineering. Detailed algorithm descriptions with focus on practical implementation. Uses practical case studies as examples and applications.