Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Non-Metallic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Assessing the Structural Performance with Emphasis on Reeds and Coconut Shells

Abstract

The optimization of mechanical performance through the use of fiber-reinforced polymer composites is achieved via META simulated experimental design, with a primary emphasis on enhancing the mechanical characteristics. Incorporating reeds and coconut shells, this approach aims for an optimal design that minimizes polymer usage while ensuring specified mechanical performance and economic efficiency. The research, anchored in a probabilistic framework, prioritizes a reliability-based optimization methodology. To assess mechanical performance, nonlinear pushover analyses at the system level are conducted, with META simulations playing a key role in exploring uncertainties. Within the META framework, inelastic interstory drift ratios are treated as indeterministic variables, while the thickness of the polymer jacket–featuring reeds and coconut shells–is considered a deterministic design variable. This refined design process not only reduces polymer costs but also systematically evaluates the cost-effectiveness of incorporating reeds and coconut shells, all while adhering to stringent structural reliability constraints. Explicit reliability index constraints, honed through META simulations, ensure the robustness and adaptability of the design optimization process. The numerical optimality criteria method within the META framework provides an efficient solution to the nonlinear retrofit design optimization problem. Illustrating the application, a design example showcases the seamless integration of reeds and coconut shells, resulting in a significant enhancement of mechanical performance within the context of retrofitting.