ABSTRACT
This paper reports on the search for an optimal set of standard, welded I-sections to replace the set of rolled I-sections presently available in South Africa. Practical considerations rule out many sections that may be considered. The set of I-sections should not be too large or too small. The problem is fairly unique among optimisation problems in that the search is not for a single section or group of sections that can meet the strength and stiffness requirements of a particular design problem at minimum cost, but rather to find the set that will cover the whole design space (defined by spans, loads and conditions of lateral support), in particular the ‘popular’ regions of the design space, most economically.
