SAFO v.2.0

Optimum Steel Cross Section
SAFO v.2.0

SAFO is a computer application that optimizes the cross-sectional shape of steel laminated profiles of common Spanish series to take advantage of the maximum material strength.

The program considers cross-sectional dimensions as variables; the length and thickness of the flanges and the webs while maintaining the essential characteristics of each profile. For example, with regard to the HEB profile, it keeps the length of the two flanges and the beam height equal to be categorized as this profile type.

The conditions considered in the optimization problem are included in the Standard for sections under pure bending:

  • Local buckling of the compressed flange
  • Web buckling
  • Yielding of material

The objective of the program is to minimize the volume needed and to meet the above conditions for a given bending moment value.

SAFO resolves two different situations:

  • Optimization of the geometry of a generic reinforced beam
  • Optimization of the geometry of the of profile series, HEA, HEB, HEM, IPE

The methods used for this problem are accounted for in the book, Métodos de Diseño Óptimo de Estructuras (Santiago Hernández, 1990). For each situation, two optimum design cases are considered:

  • Optimization while keeping the beam height constant
  • Optimization while keeping the resultant module constant

SAFO contains the tables of Spanish profile series, HEA, HEB, HEM, IPE, and provides tables of the optimized profiles with efficiency indexes.

The SAFO optimization module is the DOT program (VMA Engineering) featuring three optimization algorithms.

Publication year program: 
2003