Density-Based Optimization for Strut-Tie Modeling

Abstract

Strut-and-tie modeling is an effective design method to deal with D-regions of reinforced concrete structures. This paper presents a topology optimization technique with the density filtering algorithm for automatically producing optimal strut-and-tie models. The algorithm utilizes the finite element method as a modeling and analytical tool. Some numerical simulations for the D-regions of reinforced concrete bridge beams are analyzed to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented method. The results show that the performance index obtained by using the proposed approach is better than this by the traditional one for developing strut-and-tie models.