Optimización heurística de pilas rectangulares huecas de hormigón armado

Heuristic optimization of reinforced concrete hollow rectangular piers

This paper deals with the optimization of costs of reinforced concrete rectangular hollow section piers used in road and railways construction. It shows the efficiency of four heuristic and metaheuristic optimization algorithms. The evaluation of each solution is performed using a computer module according to the Spanish Code EHE and Eurocode 2. The calculation of stress resultants applies loads according to the national IAP provisions and the verification against instability follows the method proposed by Arenas y Villegas. Heuristic methods used are the random walk and the gradient method. The metaheuristic methods used are the threshold accepting method and the ant colony method. The four methods have been applied to the same rectangular hollow pier of 23.97 m of vertical height. The comparison of the four heuristic algorithms leads to the conclusion that the ant colony algorithm is more efficient.