Optimal selection of concrete anchors for connection cost reduction

A proprietary product such as a post-installed concrete anchor has a unique place in the engineering community that includes product design, manufacturing, testing, evaluation and design for expected service conditions. An economic model in a non-linear integer programming form is proposed for selection of concrete anchors in order to minimize connection cost. It is shown that the model can be easily incorporated with available computer software packages and generalized when different parameters and constraints are imposed to handle a variety of material selections. The information from recent testing conducted by CEL Consulting for a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor is used to provide computational results. The method introduced here adds practical value to these types of industrial problems because it considers points of view from both structural engineers and project managers.