Engineering Commons^™

Minimizing Base Column Demands In Multi-Story Buckling Restrained Braced Frames Using Genetic Algorithms, Christopher Hiroshi Yeates

Theses and Dissertations

Most structural optimization procedures focus on minimizing the total volume of steel in an attempt to reduce overall costs. However, many other factors can have an effect on the overall cost of a structure. Base column demands in particular, can affect base plate sizes, anchorage, and foundation design. Researchers have found that present methods for estimating column demands are too conservative. Nonlinear time history analyzes were conducted on buckling-restrained braced frames of six heights. Optimized results were found considering three ductility constraints and two optimization objectives. The two optimization objectives were minimized total brace area and minimized base column demands. …