OPTIMAL DESIGN OF GEOTECHNICAL STRUCTURES FOR LOWLAND AREAS

Abstract

The  applications  of  optimization  technique  for raft  foundations  built on soft soils   and  retaining   walls   are  presented   in  this  paper.  The   objective   function  of   the optimization   problem   is  the  cost  of  the  structures   (which   is  a  function  of  thickness, dimensions  and material of stabilized soil). The constraints are the displacement, differential displacement  and stabilities. The finite difference sensitivity analysis and the combination of extended  bi-point  constraint  and Lagrangian constraint  approximation  are carried out during the structural  optimization  process. The finite element method has been used to analyse the response of the structures. The results of the numerical examples show that the structures can be designed both economically and effectively using the proposed method.