Tectonic design of concrete panels by means of topology optimization techniques and limit state analysis

A tectonic design approach based on topology optimization and a lower bound solution for reinforced concrete panels is proposed. First a topology optimization is conducted to obtain the overall layout of the panel, assuming that the material behaviour is linear elastic. The obtained grid consisting of rectangular cells filled with material or voids is employed to a stringer analysis by applying reinforcement bars to the stringers between the cells. The stringer optimization problem is then solved and the amount of reinforcement and thickness of the concrete panel is obtained. The method is illustrated by means of an example with a wall concrete panel designed with a number of voids.