Optimization of Design Parameters and Cost of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Earth Walls Using Harmony Search Algorithm

This paper proposes a new approach to optimize the design of geosynthetic-reinforced retaining walls. Minimizing the cost of construction was considered as the optimization criterion. A metaheuristic technique, named Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), is applied in optimizing the design of geosynthetic-reinforced earth walls. The involved optimization procedures are discussed in a step-wise approach and their applicability is demonstrated on geosynthetic-reinforced walls of height 5, 7 and 9 m. The effects of static and dynamic loads are considered. Results are compared between this study and studies that used Sequential Unconstrained Minimization Technique (SUMT). It is found that the construction cost, for a geosynthetic-reinforced walls optimized by HSA, showed as high as 9.2 % reduction from that of SUMT. © 2015, Springer International Publishing AG.