Optimized design of composite steel and concrete trusses to minimize cost and environmental impact

Resumo

The use of composite structures has grown significantly in recent decades, in a global scenario
characterized by the need to reformulate the image of the civil construction sector, responsible for an enormous
environmental impact. In this context, composite steel and concrete trusses have applicability in structural design
with large spans. This research consists in presents the optimization problem of steel and concrete composite
trusses focusing on the cost and CO2 emission, via genetic algorithm (GA), using Matlab software. Three trusses
models were considering: Pratt, Howe and Warren associated with solid slab, for the optimized design according
to ABNT NBR 8800:2008. It was verified which type of truss provides the best results for spans of variable lengths.
Witch the graphical interface for efficient user interaction and the agility provided by the GA, the developed
program identified that the best results were obtained with the Pratt-type metallic truss and that the upper flange
was in a critical situation due to the combined bending effect. Optimizing the cost and CO2 emission of composite
steel and concrete trusses has proven to be an excellent tool for automating these tasks.