Optimal design of CFRP plates for strengthening RC flat slab-column connections using GWO algorithm

The present research evaluated the effect of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates in strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) flat slab-column connections under punching shear and seismic loading conditions and proposed an optimal design for CFRP plates in these connections. To this end, comprehensive parametric studies were performed in the ABAQUS finite element software using 33 different models incorporating various values of the 5 main variables, namely loading conditions, number of fiber layers, orientation, thicknesses, and dimensions of the CFRP plate. The numerical model was validated via experimental tests of the laboratory model. In addition, an optimal design model for CFRP plates was developed using the gray wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm. The main objective of the optimization model was to reduce damage in the slab-column connection under loading. The optimal values of the geometric parameters of the CFRP plates retrofitted in the RC slab-column connection were obtained by simultaneous computations performed by MATLAB and ABAQUS software. The results along with the CFRP optimization model developed using GWO can be used in practice to design CFRP plates optimally for reinforcement purposes.