Parametric Analysis in the Optimization Design of Composite Cellular Beams

This study aims to present a parametric analysis in the optimization problem for steel-concrete composite cellular beams with steel deck slabs. A comparative analysis was carried out considering two scenarios, namely, (i) in the first scenario, the slab span and applied loads were varied, adopting slab configurations from a manufacturer’s catalog for spans of 10 m to 20 m with a step of 2.5 m; (ii) in the second scenario, the same span and loading conditions were considered; however, slab optimization was performed by introducing reinforcement in order to evaluate the resulting impacts on the structural design. In both analyzed scenarios, the objective function was defined as the composite system’s CO2 emissions. The design constraints were defined based on literature recommendations, and to solve the optimization problem, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was also adopted. The results demonstrate that the PSO algorithm was effective in identifying optimal solutions and that the introduction of slab reinforcement, combined with optimal design, led to CO2 emission reductions of up to 25% at the highest load levels analyzed.