Biologically inspired soft computing methods in structural mechanics and engineering

Modern soft computing methods, such as neural networks, evolutionary models and fuzzy logic, are mainly inspired by the problem solving strategies the biological systems use in nature. As such, the soft computing methods are fundamentally different from the conventional engineering problem solving methods, which are based on mathematics. In the author's opinion, these fundamental differences are the key to the full understanding of the soft computing methods and in the realization of their full potential in engineering applications. The main theme of this paper is to discuss the fundamental differences between the soft computing methods and the mathematically based conventional methods in engineering problems, and to explore the potential of soft computing methods in new ways of formulating and solving the otherwise intractable engineering problems. Inverse problems are identified as a class of particularly difficult engineering problems, and the special capabilities of the soft computing methods in inverse problems are discussed. Soft computing methods are especially suited for engineering design, which can be considered as a special class of inverse problems. Several examples from the research work of the author and his co-workers are presented and discussed to illustrate the main points raised in this paper.