PRACTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF COMPOSITE STEEL AND CONCRETE GIRDERS

The composite action in members built up of different materials results in savings in construction cost. These savings can be further advanced by employing optimization techniques in the design of composite members. This paper presents an algorithm model for the cost optimization of composite beams based on the specifications of the SR EN 1994-1-1/2006: Design of composite steel and concrete structures. Design examples taken from the literature were analysed in order to validate the proposed model, to illustrate its use, and to demonstrate its capabilities in optimizing composite beam designs. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]