Genetic algorithm in mix proportioning of high-performance concrete

High-performance concrete is defined as concrete that meets special combinations of performance and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely using conventional constituents and normal mixing, placing, and curing practices. Ever since the term high-performance concrete was introduced into the industry, it had widely used in large-scale concrete construction that demands high strength, high flowability, and high durability. To obtain such performances that cannot be obtained from conventional concrete and by the current method, a large number of trial mixes are required to select the desired combination of materials that meets special performance. Therefore, in this paper, using genetic algorithm that is a global optimization technique modeled on biological evolutionary process-natural selection and natural genetics-and can be used to find a near optimal solution to a problem that may have many solutions, the new design method for high-performance concrete mixtures is suggested to reduce the number of trial mixtures with desired properties in the field test. Experimental and analytic investigations were carried out to develop the design method for high-performance concrete mixtures and to verify the proposed mix design. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.