Computational platform for non‐linear analysis/ optimal design of reinforced concrete structures

Abstract

A system for optimum reinforcement design and non-linear analysis of reinforced concrete structures is presented. The specially-tailored program ORCHID (Optimum Reinforced Concrete Highly Interactive Dimensioning) is utilized for the reinforcement design and optimization. The commercially available program DIANA (DIsplacement ANAlyzer) is adopted for the nonlinear analysis and evaluation of the different reinforcement designs provided by ORCHID. It is demonstrated how the two programs intended to complete two separate tasks can be integrated in an environment for performance-based reinforcement design ensuring cost-effectiveness through optimization and structural safety through satisfying serviceability conditions. Examples of a oneway slab in bending and a deep beam in membrane action, highlighting the specific aspects of such an integrated analysis/design environment, are provided.

Choice Recommendations for Rational Concreting Technology of Steel Reinforced Concrete Structures

“…The concrete should be highlighted from parts of the steel reinforced concrete structures as the changing material. The concrete structure [2,3] greatly affects on its physical and mechanical properties and depends on water-cement relation (W/C). The concrete density decreases with excess unbound water, pores can take near a third of the cement stone volume that causes decreasing of concrete strength.…”

Optimising reinforcement design in D regions using non-linear finite-element analysis

“…The procedure uses the same constitutive relationships in the reinforcement design, as well as the NLFEA. This is advantageous as it allows explicit performancebased design constraints, such as crack widths, to be specified at the design stage, unlike the methods of Tabatabai andMosalam (2001), andFernández Ruiz andMuttoni (2007). The current formulation of the design procedure incorporates the equations of the modified compression field theory (MCFT) (Collins et al, 2008), but any similar constitutive model, such as that of Hsu (1993), could be used.…”

“…Relatively little attention has been given to the use of NLFEA for the automatic design of reinforcement in D regions. Tabatabai and Mosalam (2001) developed a computational platform for optimising the reinforcement design in D regions in which the design begins with a linear FEA. A linear programming tableau is established to minimise a linear objective function subject to a set of prescribed linear constraints.…”

Computer Aided Design of RC Structures

“…More recently, Syroka et al (2011) and Mercan et al (2010) analyzed reinforced concrete corbels and prestressed spandrel beams respectively, and on both occasions the finite element predictions were compared with experimental results. There have been few attempts at using the finite element method as a design tool for reinforced concrete structures (Tabatai and Mosalam 2001;An and Maekawa 2004;Khennane 2005). Unlike in other fields of engineering; such as metal forming, where numerical simulations are being conducted on a routine basis to design industrial parts (Khelifa et al 2007), or the automobile industry, which simulates crash tests extensively even though it is possible to develop a product solely through prototyping, automated design of concrete structures has not attracted a lot of attention.…”