Structural Optimization of Reinforced Concrete Beams using GA method.

Resumo

In the civil construction sector, especially in the structural area, the search for optimized designs that
satisfy architectural, constructive, safety criteria, being at the same time economic viable are the challenges
experienced by designers, who are constantly looking for tools and methods to find the ideal structure. In reinforced
concrete structures, beams are elements designed to support and distribute the loads, generally from slabs, to the
columns and correspond to a significant portion of the structural design. Therefore, the search for optimal beams
can be advantageous, since the final cost can be positively impacted. The main objective of this work is the
optimization of cross sections of reinforced concrete beams, having as an objective function the final cost of
reinforced concrete inputs. For computational implementation of routines for dimensioning longitudinal and
transverse reinforcement, the programming language Matlab was used. The dimensioning process of longitudinal
and transverse reinforcement areas were implemented using the commercial software Matlab. This process, as
well as all imposed constraints are in accordance with the Brazilian standard NBR6118/2014. The optimization
was achieve using the heuristic method GA (Genetic Algorithm). Diverse situations were analyzed as variations in
spans and loads, having the height of the section, the resistance of the concrete (Fck) and the area of the transverse
and longitudinal reinforcements as design variables.