Incorporating energy-efficient concrete materials in structural reinforced concrete design using multi-objective optimization

This study aims to advance computer-aided design and decision-making using multi-objective optimisation (MOO) in reinforced concrete beam design for sustainable construction. It investigates the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), namely fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), to reduce embodied carbon. The MOO algorithm integrates varying SCM percentages and concrete strengths to balance cost and carbon emissions, resulting in the design of a 70% GGBS concrete with lower strength. While this optimal solution increases both cost and emissions by 5% compared to the absolute minimums, it represents over 10% improvement when the objectives are considered separately. Compared to conventional concrete, the optimised solution increases cost by only 2% but reduces carbon emissions by 47%. Parametric analyses reveal the significant influence of concrete mix, beam depth, and steel carbon emission on overall cost and environmental impact. Specifically, increasing the fly ash percentages from 15 to 40% showed negligible cost changes, yet yielded significant carbon emissions reduction of up to 21%. Furthermore, the use of GGBS concrete demonstrated substantial reduction in carbon emissions, underscoring its critical role in minimising both objective functions. This research contributes to developing a comprehensive design optimisation framework for sustainable concrete construction using alternative materials.

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