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Edge beams in Sweden are subjected to harsh environmental conditions, such as de-icing salts and numerous freeze-thaw cycles, which result in large expenditures for the maintenance of these items. Driven by that fact, a project was initiated to investigate the life of edge beams in more detail.   The main objective of the work was to determine and provide reliable input for establishment of investment cost of edge beams. The data was later utilized in an application of life-cycle cost analysis - created by a Ph.D student. Case studies - ongoing bridge construction projects in Askersund, Rotebro and Kallhäll - gave the basis for the research. Site visits were performed and engineers were consulted for data collection.   As an outcome of the project, costs for the edge beams in the case studies were calculated and comparative charts were presented that reveal the magnitude of cost contributors to the bridge edge beam system.   The work illustrates that the construction of edge beams is a workforce demanding process. Hence it is suggested that, to find the most optimal edge beam solution in terms of investment cost and life-cycle considerations, various construction methods such as prefabrication of edge beams should be tested and analysed.

This article evaluates Tourinho's (1979) work as one of the earliest contributors to the real options literature. His model pioneered the application of risk neutrality to uncertain investments, but his originality of introducing an option-holding cost albeit to overcome the extraction paradox is rarely imitated. We claim that the combination of a convenience yield and an option-holding cost produces a more satisfying representation. Moreover, variations in the holding cost give rise to a host of investment decisions ranging from the standard real option solution for a zero-holding cost to a net present value solution for an infinite-holding cost. Not only does the holding cost mediate between these two poles, but it provides the option seller (usually a landowner or a government) with a policy instrument for influencing the extraction timing and thus the extraction profit of the option buyer. We derive the holding cost that optimizes the landowner's combined value of the option premium, holding costs and eventual royalties. View all references) work as one of the earliest contributors to the real options literature. His model pioneered the application of risk neutrality to uncertain investments, but his originality of introducing an option-holding cost albeit to overcome the extraction paradox is rarely imitated. We claim that the combination of a convenience yield and an option-holding cost produces a more satisfying representation. Moreover, variations in the holding cost give rise to a host of investment decisions ranging from the standard real option solution for a zero-holding cost to a net present value solution for an infinite-holding cost. Not only does the holding cost mediate between these two poles, but it provides the option seller (usually a landowner or a government) with a policy instrument for influencing the extraction timing and thus the extraction profit of the option buyer. We derive the holding cost that optimizes the landowner's combined value of the option premium, holding costs and eventual royalties.

This thesis explored the possibilities of incorporating automation and optimization inthe design process of cantilever retaining walls. The programming language Pythonhas been used to develop a program that given certain inputs performs the necessarydesign verifications according to Eurocodes and Swedish standards. The GeneticAlgorithm (GA) was chosen as optimization algorithm, where the objectives of theoptimization were defined as minimization of investment cost (IC) and environmentalimpact (EI).Optimized solutions from the program were compared with a previously designedretaining wall in a case study. Savings ranging between 15% and 30% could beobtained depending on the restrictions that were imposed on the optimization. Resultsalso indicate that the optimization algorithm tends to output retaining walls withhigher reinforcement content when optimizing for EI, leading to thinner structuralmembers in comparison to optimizations with respect to IC. A parametric analysis wasfurthermore performed to study the influence of varying heights and concrete classeson the optimized solutions.

The most used design approach for civil engineering structures is a trial and error procedure; the designer chooses an initial configuration, tests it and changes it until all safety requirements are met with good material utilization. Such a procedure is time consuming and eventually leads to a feasible solution, while several better ones could be found. Indeed, together with safety, environmental impact and investment cost should be decisive factors for the selection of structural solutions. Thus, structural optimization with respect to environmental impact and cost has been the subject of many researches in the last decades. However, design techniques based on optimization haven’t replaced the traditional design procedure yet. One of the reasons might be the constructive feasibility of the optimal solution. Moreover, concerning reinforced concrete beam bridges, to the best of the author knowledge, no study in the literature has been published dealing with the optimization of the entire bridge including both the structural configuration and cross-section dimensions. In this thesis, a two-steps automatic design and optimization procedure for reinforced concrete road beam bridges is presented. The optimization procedure finds the solution that minimizes the investment cost and the environmental impact of the bridge, while fulfilling all requirements of Eurocodes. In the first step, given the soil morphology and the two points to connect, it selects the optimal number of spans, type of piers-deck connections and piers location taking into account any obstacle the bridge has to cross. In the second and final step, it finds the optimal dimensions of the deck cross-section and produces the detailed reinforcement design. Constructability is considered and quantified within the investment cost to avoid a merely theoretical optimization. The wellknown Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Pattern Search optimization algorithms have been used. However, to reduce the computational effort and make the procedure more user-friendly, a memory system has been integrated and a modified version of GA has been developed. Moreover, the design and optimization procedure is used to study the relationship between the optimal solutions concerning investment cost and environmental impact. One case study concerning the re-design of an existing road bridge is presented. Potential savings obtained using the proposed method instead of the classic design procedure are presented. Finally, parametric studies on the total bridge length have been carried out and guidelines for designers have been produced regarding the optimal number of spans. / <p>QC 20190304</p> / Optimala betongbrolösningar med hänsyn till klimatpåverkan och investeringskostnad

Today's civil engineering structures are most often designed through a trial anderror approach, which means that the designer tests a design solution andevaluates whether all requirements are met. If any of the requirements are notmet, changes are made to the design until a feasible solution is obtained. It is atime-consuming process where the  nal design is not always optimal concerningmaterial consumption. In this study, a program has been developed in MATLAB®for the design of reinforced concrete retaining walls and by using optimizationalgorithms, the design process has been made automated and time-ecient. Theuse of optimization algorithms also allows for  nding a solution that is not onlyfeasible but also optimal. The developed program utilizes two objective functions,minimizing environmental impact or investment cost based on materialconsumption. In addition, the design calculations are developed according toEurocode and additional national requirements of Swedish standards.This thesis presents the background to the study, fundamental optimization theoryand how the developed program is designed. A case study is also presented whereexisting retaining walls have been examined to evaluate what savings could havebeen made using optimization algorithms in the design process. Lastly, guidelinesare also presented for designers to facilitate the choice of cross-sectional dimensionsand reinforcement bar dimensions when designing retaining walls.The results obtained in the case study show that using optimization algorithms inthe design process can make signi cant savings (10-20%) on investment cost andenvironmental impact. Moreover, the results show that an optimized retaining wallconcerning environmental impact also leads to a substantial reduction ininvestment costs and vice versa.

The most used design approach for civil engineering structures is a trial and error procedure; the designer chooses an initial configuration, tests it and changes it until all safety requirements are met with good material utilization. Such a procedure is time consuming and eventually leads to a feasible solution, while several better ones could be found. Indeed, together with safety, environmental impact and investment cost should be decisive factors for the selection of structural solutions. Thus, structural optimization with respect to environmental impact and cost has been the subject of many researches in the last decades. However, design techniques based on optimization haven’t replaced the traditional design procedure yet. One of the reasons might be the constructive feasibility of the optimal solution. Moreover, concerning reinforced concrete beam bridges, to the best of the author knowledge, no study in the literature has been published dealing with the optimization of the entire bridge including both the structural configuration and cross-section dimensions. In this thesis, a two-steps automatic design and optimization procedure for reinforced concrete road beam bridges is presented. The optimization procedure finds the solution that minimizes the investment cost and the environmental impact of the bridge, while fulfilling all requirements of Eurocodes. In the first step, given the soil morphology and the two points to connect, it selects the optimal number of spans, type of piers-deck connections and piers location taking into account any obstacle the bridge has to cross. In the second and final step, it finds the optimal dimensions of the deck cross-section and produces the detailed reinforcement design. Constructability is considered and quantified within the investment cost to avoid a merely theoretical optimization. The wellknown Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Pattern Search optimization algorithms have been used. However, to reduce the computational effort and make the procedure more user-friendly, a memory system has been integrated and a modified version of GA has been developed. Moreover, the design and optimization procedure is used to study the relationship between the optimal solutions concerning investment cost and environmental impact. One case study concerning the re-design of an existing road bridge is presented. Potential savings obtained using the proposed method instead of the classic design procedure are presented. Finally, parametric studies on the total bridge length have been carried out and guidelines for designers have been produced regarding the optimal number of spans. / <p>QC 20190304</p>

This diploma thesis deals with the comparison of investment life insurance with risk life insurance and individual investment in open mutual funds in the territory of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part describes the basic characteristics of life insurance, open mutual funds and as a cross-section of the two products of the investment life insurance. It also describes the main cost indicators that can be used to calculate the cost of the insurance product. The analysis of the current situation is focused on a model example, in which the insurance products are compared and the investment part is evaluated. Subsequent comparison of results, selection of the most effective tool and recommendations are contained in the proposal section. The main goal of the diploma thesis is to determine the best solution for the end customer and to propose possible changes in the investment life insurance to make it more competitive.

Civil engineering projects involve great investments and great impacts. For that reason,engineers have a commitment with an efficient and optimal use of resources. Researchers inuniversities claim that a lot could be achieved by applying structural optimization into realprojects, even though this approach has not gained the same popularity in the industry over thelast decades.The purpose of the present thesis is to explore the possibilities offered by structural optimizationand to verify its applicability in realistic and complex structural engineering problems. Amongthe questions regarding design optimization, it was emphasized feasibility, efficiency and userfriendliness. The chosen structural system was a bridge cantilever deck. The analysis was limitedto the transversal design of the structure and the goal of the optimization was to reduce investmentcosts. In order to guarantee efficiency of the simulations, a "longitudinal length convergence"analysis was performed. It consisted of determining the minimum required longitudinal length(perpendicular to the cantilever length) that ensured reasonable accuracy. The purpose of thisanalysis was to reduce the computational time during the optimization process. In order toautomate the analysis, MATLAB was used in connection to Abaqus (to perform the FE Analysis).There were three different sets of results presented: the length convergence, application toreal projects and parametric study. In the first application, it was shown that the requiredlongitudinal length (lx) proportionally decreased as the cantilever length (lc) increased. It wasalso observed the presence of the edge beam implied in consistently larger longitudinal lengthsfor the same accuracy tolerance. With respect to the second application, two projects wereconsidered and the structural optimization presented alternatives with significant investment costreduction in a reasonable time. Furthermore, it was observed that a design solution without theedge beam reduced the costs even more. Finally, the parametric study confirmed that the costreduction obtained by eliminating the edge beam was not restricted to only certain cantileverlengths. Furthermore, it was possible to obtain the pattern of thickness variation as function ofthe cantilever length.The results of this research suggest that structural optimization could be an alternative totraditional design methods used today in consulting offices and its possibilities transcend puredesign achievements.

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