Robust Optimisation of Performance‐Based Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers

ABSTRACT A significant challenge in performance‐based seismic design (PBSD) is to manage uncertainties in a cost‐efficient manner. This highlights the necessity of integrating PBSD with a robust design optimisation (RDO) methodology. The objective is to find optimal solutions that are not only safe and cost‐effective but also minimally sensitive to variations in input noise parameters such as record‐to‐record variability (RTRV) of ground motions and uncertainties related to structural properties. In this study, for the first time, an RDO formulation is tailored to the PBSD of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers. The developed optimisation framework is applied to the PBSD of RC piers following the specifications of fib Model Code 2010. The obtained results provide valuable insights into the trade‐offs between economic costs and robustness of RC pier design solutions. They also underscore the importance of the proposed RDO method in decision‐making processes, highlighting solutions that may be slightly more expensive but significantly more robust compared to the most economical options.