COST OPTIMIZATION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE ELEMENTS

A computer-based systematic approach for optimizing material cost in reinforced concrete elements is presented. This approach considers the current material cost in the trade-off and selection of member dimensions and reinforcement design of concrete elements such as beams and columns. The theoretical framework is to design reinforced concrete structure based on the cost of available materials and not just on the availability of materials. The windows-oriented computer program developed for this purpose would also be beneficial to owners, designers and contractors interested in cost optimization of reinforced concrete elements.