Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm in the design optimization of RC continuous beams

The objective of this study is to obtain the optimum design for reinforced concrete continuous beams in terms of cross section dimensions and reinforcement details using a fine tuned Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) Algorithm while still satisfying the constraints of the ACI Code (2008). The ABC algorithm used in this paper has been slightly modified to include a Variable Changing Percentage (VCP) that further improves its performance when dealing with members consisted of multiple variables. The objective function is the total cost of the continuous beam which includes the cost of concrete, formwork and reinforcing steel bars. The design variables used are beam width, beam height, number and diameter of: bottom continuous reinforcing bars, bottom cutoff reinforcing bars, top continuous reinforcing bars and top cutoff reinforcing bars as well as the diameter of stirrups. Four RC beams of varying complexity are presented and optimized. The first three beams are used to fine tune the control parameters of the ABC algorithm, whereas the fourth beam was previously optimized by Arafa et al. (2011) and is presented here to prove the superiority of this relatively new optimization algorithm.