Optimum Life Cycle Cost Design of Steel Box Girder Bridges

강상형교의 최적 Life Cycle Cost 설계

This paper presents an optimal decision model for minimizing the life-cycle cost of steel box girder bridges. The point is that it takes into account service life process as a whole, and the life-cycle costs include initial (design, testing, and construction) costs, maintenance costs and expected failure costs. The problem is formulated as that of minimization of expected total life-cycle cost with respect to the design variables. The optimal solution identifies those values of the decision variables that result in minimum expected total cost. The performance constraints in the form of flexural failure and shear failure are those specified in the design code. Based on extensive numerical investigations, it may be positively stated that the optimum design of steel box girder bridges based on life-cycle cost approach proposed in this study provides a lot more rational and economical design, and thus the proposed approach will propose the development of new concepts and design methodologies that may have important implications in the next generation performance-based design codes and standards.