Optimization of Eccentrically Loaded Reinforced-Concrete Isolated Footings

Abstract

Footing design should satisfy the requirements as specified in the design standards of a country. The tendency of most of the conventional design approaches is to achieve design requirements first and estimate economics afterward. Also, the existing literature has recommended various approaches to reduce the cost of a foundation by reducing its base area or by achieving a minimum volume of constituents. However, discrete reduction in these quantities might not necessarily represent the least cost. As an alternative, this article describes a simplified approach for the design of eccentrically loaded RC isolated footings that explicitly considers the structural requirements and economics simultaneously and hence results in a foundation with minimum cost. The developed approach is based on Excel solver, the objective of which is to provide a simplified procedure to reduce the construction cost through the simultaneous integration of design parameters and requirements as optimization variables and constraints, respectively. This design approach is illustrated in the latter part of the article along with the comparison of results between conventional and optimized designs using design examples available in the existing literature.