Cost optimization of reinforced concrete frames using genetic algorithms

Bedilu Habte; Elias Yilma

doi:10.11121/ijocta.01.2021.00863

Authors

Bedilu Habte Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Ethiopia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8707-3514
Elias Yilma Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Ethiopia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5288-7334

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11121/ijocta.01.2021.00863

Keywords:

Structural Design Optimization, Decimal Encoding, Genetic Algorithms, Direct Stiffness Method, Reinforcement Detailing in Frames

Abstract

Cost optimization of reinforced concrete building frames using genetic algorithms is presented. Unlike previous works that used simplified discrete or continuous optimization models, this work considers constructability issues as well as the effects of shear and torsional actions in the design optimization of reinforced concrete frames. An integrated software system has been developed to implement the proposed optimization procedure using genetic algorithms. Examples have been incorporated in order to compare the results from the proposed study with that of a previous work which follows a different heuristic and with the traditional “design–check–revise” method. The structural design procedures recommended in the Eurocode-2 have been strictly followed in this work. Special emphasis has been given to structural analysis methods and studying computational efficiency of the developed framework. To improve the performance and computational complexity of the algorithm, the effect of genetic parameters such as mutation and crossover on the optimization process has been thoroughly studied. The method developed in this work proves to have a lot of advantages over the traditional “design–check–revise” paradigm and other heuristic methods.

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Author Biographies

Bedilu Habte, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Ethiopia

Bedilu Habte has completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. studies at Addis Ababa University in 1983 and 1989, respectively. He completed his PhD study in 2000, specializing in Informatics in Civil Engineering, from TU Darmstadt, Germany. For the next three years, he worked as a software developer and IT consultant for different companies in Germany. Since 2004 he is engaged in teaching and research activities as an Associate Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the AAU, in Ethiopia. As the chair of the Structural Mechanics division, he supervises MSc theses and conducts research offering computational solutions to civil engineering tasks. He has undertaken a research activity on E-learning at the Carnegie Melon University, USA as a Fulbright scholar. He is a member of the Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers and had also served in its editorial committee.

Elias Yilma, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Ethiopia

Elias Yilma is a structural engineering lecturer at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology. His research examines engineering, numerical and computational problems at the intersections of structural engineering and computational sciences. His research interests include applications of artificial intelligence in structural engineering problems and applied computational mechanics.

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