Automatingand optimizing pile group design using a Genetic Algorithm

Abstract: In bridge design, a set of piles is referred to as a pile group. The design process of pile groups employed by many firms is currently manual, time consuming, and produces pile groups that are not robust against placement errors. This thesis applies the metaheuristic method Genetic Algorithm to automate and improve the design of pile groups for bridge column foundations. A software is developed and improved by implementing modifications to the Genetic Algorithm. The algorithm is evaluated by the pile groups it produces, using the Monte Carlo method to simulate errors for the purpose of testing the robustness. The results are compared with designs provided by the consulting firm Tyrens AB. The software is terminated manually, and generally takes less than half an hour to produce acceptable pile groups. The developed Genetic Algorithm Software produces pile groups that are more robust than the manually designed pile groups to which they are compared, using the Monte Carlo method. However, due to the visually disorganized designs, the pile groups produced by the algorithm may be di cult to get approved by Trafikverket. The software might require further modifications addressing this problem before it can be of practical use.