New Computer Tools for Optimal Design Decisions in the Presence of Risk

This project involved collaborative efforts between researchers at three CUREe institutions and Kajima Corporation to develop an integrated suite of interactive software tools which assist the structural designer in making better design decisions in the presence of uncertainties. By using these tools, the designer can rapidly evaluate and improve proposed designs to explore a broader range of alternatives than would otherwise be economically feasible. An optimal design can be sought based on the evaluation of many major factors affecting the design, including structural performance criteria, client preferences, and economic constraints, as well as the uncertainties associated with the environmental loads the structure may experience during its lifetime. The software package, named SODA (Smart Optimal Design and Analysis) , involves the application of several new methodologies originating from research in artificial intelligence and decision theory. including object-oriented programming. a preference function approach to multicriteria decisions which incorporates uncertainty through a probability-based treatment of fuzzy reliability, and stochastic optimization. The end product is a software package that enhances the effectiveness and productivity of designers of structural systems.