Optimal seismic upgrading solution selection for existing Reinforced Concrete Structures through Genetic Algorithms

Nowadays a complex technical challenge that Civil Engineers have to face is the seismic upgrading of existing RC structures. Since such issue involves several design variables, describing potential combinations of member- and structure-level intervention techniques, it can be regarded as a constrained optimization problem. More specifically, the reduction of the financial outlay of the upgrading interventions, can be limited adopting a recently developed numerical procedure based upon Genetic Algorithms (GAs). The paper aims at showing recent advances in enhancing the efficiency of the adopted GA, which is greatly influenced by the parameters controlling the algorithm workflow and by the adopted structural model, as well.