Optimization of steel-concrete composite beams considering cost and environmental impact

In the optimized structure sizing, the optimization methods are inserted in this context in order to obtain satisfactory solutions, which can provide more economical structures, besides allowing the consideration of the factors related to the environmental impacts in the structural design. This work proposes a mathematical model for the optimization of steel-concrete composite beams aiming to minimize the monetary cost and the environmental impact, using the Harmonic Search optimization method. Discrete variables were the dimensions of the steel profiles and the thickness of the collaborating slab of the composite steel-concrete beam. The proposed model was implemented in Fortran programming language and based on improvements in the structure of the optimization method proposed by Medeiros and Kripka (2017). To prove the effectiveness and applicability of the model, as well as the Harmonic Search method, analyzes were performed with different configurations of steel-concrete composite beams, in order to provide guidelines that make the use of these systems more streamlined. In general, the Harmonic Search optimization method has proved to be efficient in the search for the optimized solutions, as well as important considerations on the optimization of the monetary and environmental costs of steel-concrete composite beams were obtained from the developed examples.