ABSTRACT
Built infrastructures are continuously at risk from deterioration. The application of optimization algorithms to the entire life cycle of built infrastructure from early stage design to maintenance activities planning can best improve the life cycle performance of the built infrastructure and minimize the life-cycle cost and environmental impact. However, there remains a gap in fundamental or application-based research on life-cycle optimization of the durability performance. It is partially because there are no available durability models that are fundamental in nature and accurate enough to be integrated with optimization algorithms. This research presents an innovative framework to optimize life cycle durability performance of reinforced concrete infrastructure with accurate prediction using a recently developed multi-physics computational durability model. Various optimization variables throughout the entire life cycle of built infrastructures are enabled. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of this framework to optimize the durability performance of a reinforced concrete structure.
