Cost Efficient Design of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls Using Adaptive Dimensional Search Algorithm

Mechanically stabilized earth walls are among the most commonly used soil-retaining structural systems in the construction industry. This study addresses the optimum design problem of mechanically stabilized earth walls using a recently developed metaheuristic optimization algorithm, namely adaptive dimensional search. For a cost efficient design, different types of steel reinforcement as well as reinforced backfill soil are treated as discrete design variables. The performance of the adaptive dimensional search algorithm is investigated through cost optimization instances of mechanically stabilized earth walls under realistic design criteria specified by standard design codes. The numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the adaptive dimensional search algorithm in minimum cost design of mechanically stabilized earth walls and further highlight the usefulness of design optimization in engineering practice.