Optimized Design of Low-Carbon Mix Ratio for Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II Concrete Based on Genetic Algorithm-Improved Back Propagation

Abstract

In order to achieve low-carbon optimization in the intelligent mix ratio design of concrete materials, this work first constructs a concrete mix ratio database and performs a statistical characteristics analysis. Secondly, it employs a standard back propagation (BP) and a genetic algorithm-improved BP (GA-BP) to predict the concrete mix ratio. The NSGA-II algorithm is then used to optimize the mix ratio. Finally, the method’s accuracy is validated through experiments. The study’s results indicate that the statistical characteristics of the concrete mix ratio data show a wide distribution range and good representativeness. Compared to the standard BP, the fitting accuracies of each GA-BP set are improved by 4.9%, 0.3%, 16.7%, and 4.6%, respectively. According to the Fast Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) optimization for meeting C50 concrete strength requirements, the optimal concrete mix ratio is as follows: cement 331.3 kg/m3, sand 639.4 kg/m3, stone 1039 kg/m3, fly ash 56 kg/m3, water 153 kg/m3, and water-reducing agent 0.632 kg/m3. The 28-day compressive strength, material cost, and carbon emissions show relative errors of 2.1%, 0.6%, and 2.9%, respectively. Compared with commercial concrete of the same strength grade, costs and carbon emissions are reduced by 7.2% and 15.9%, respectively. The methodology used in this study not only significantly improves the accuracy of concrete design but also considers the carbon emissions involved in the concrete preparation process, reflecting the strength, economic, and environmental impacts of material design. Practitioners are encouraged to explore integrated low-carbon research that spans from material selection to structural optimization.