One-Way Reinforced Concrete Flexural Elements: Economic Characterization and Selection Guidelines Developed Using Adaptive Simulated Annealing

Adaptive Simulated Annealing is used to generate economic cost maps for one-way slabs and beams subject to flexure and shear which are used to establish revised guidelines for economic selection of concrete flexural elements. Using #6 to #11 reinforcing bars produces unnecessarily expensive designs. #3 to #7 bars were present in the overwhelming majority of the optimal designs. For girders, two layers of flexural reinforcing appeared more frequently in optimal designs than did a single layer. The expression bd 2 = 20 M u . does not provide a generally accurate means of proportioning the least expensive flexural members. The least expensive members frequently had reinforcement ratios significantly lower than the assumed 1%. For girders, stirrups were very often included in optimal designs. For one-way slabs, small (#3, #4, #5) and medium (#6, #7, #8) bars are used more frequently in optimal designs. When deflection is not calculated, medium bars appear most frequently in optimal slab designs.