Artificial Intelligence-Based Optimization of Box Culvert Cross-Section Design Under Hydraulic and Structural Constraints
Received: 18 April 2026 | Revised: 9 May 2026 | Accepted: 18 May 2026 | Online: 6 June 2026
Corresponding author: Ngoc Thinh Pham
Abstract
Reinforced concrete box culverts are critical infrastructure for flood management and cross-drainage. However, their conventional design relies on iterative sequential processes that oversimplify the coupling of hydraulic and structural constraints, resulting in overly conservative, costly structures. This study proposes a novel Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based optimization framework that tightly couples hydraulic routing equations with rigorous structural mechanics to minimize total construction. The framework evaluates the performance of two advanced metaheuristic algorithms: Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and the Genetic Algorithm (GA). A comprehensive parametric case study was conducted to assess variations in design discharge and soil cover depth. The results demonstrate that the GWO algorithm successfully navigates the highly constrained non-convex design space, achieving a 24.0% reduction in total cost compared to the conventional deterministic design and outperforming the GA (19.4% reduction). Furthermore, the AI framework autonomously identified critical physical trade-offs, dynamically adapting the culvert aspect ratio to meet strict headwater thresholds during extreme flood events and optimizing member thicknesses across varying live and dead load dominance phases. This automated, performance-based framework provides civil engineers with a robust tool to design cost-efficient, climate-resilient hydraulic structures.
Keywords:
box culvert design, metaheuristic optimization, Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), hydraulic engineering, structural constraints, flood control infrastructureReferences
A. A. Al-Jazaairry, "Optimum Design of Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert by Using Deterministic Approach," IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 1090, no. 1, Nov. 2021, Art. no. 012125.
J. H. Haido, B. A. Mahmood, A. A. Abdul-Razzak, M. Dorn, and S. T. Yousif, "Performance of RC Skew Box Culvert: Application Of The Finite Element Modelling And Artificial Intelligence," Journal of Duhok University, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 767–787, 2020.
A. J. A. Cabanesas, D. A. L. Esteban, A. J. C. Alejo, and K. L. L. Mabalay, "Optimizing Culvert Design for Creek Overflow Management: Determining the Optimal Structural Solution," Engineering and Technology Journal, vol. 10, no. 04, Apr. 2025.
J. M. Norman, R. J. Houghtalen, and W. A. Johnston, Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts, 2nd ed. USA: Federal Highway Administration, 2001.
E. Awwad, M. Mabsout, S. Sadek, and K. Tarhini, "Finite Element Analysis of Concrete Box Culverts," in Computing in Civil and Building Engineering (2000), Aug. 2000, pp. 1051–1053.
Saurav and I. Pandey, "Economic Design of Rcc Box Culvert Through Comparative Study of Conventional and Finite Element Method," International Journal of Engineering and Technology, pp. 1707–1713, 2017.
N. Jadhav, P. Nimbalkar, P. Paygude, and S. Jadhav, "Analysis and Design of RCC Box Culvert," International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 54–64, Apr. 2024.
L. A. R. A. Asadi, H. S. A. Bahrani, and L. K. A. Waeli, "Parametric Study for Design and Analysis of Box Culvert by Using Newton’s-Raphson Method and MATLAB Software," Key Engineering Materials, vol. 870, pp. 11–19, 2020.
H. A. Waqas, M. Waseem, A. Riaz, M. Ilyas, M. Naveed, and H. Seitz, "Influence of Haunch Geometry and Additional Steel Reinforcement on Load Carrying Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert," Materials, vol. 16, no. 4, Feb. 2023.
A. A. A. El-Abbasy, "Artificial intelligence-driven predictive modeling in civil engineering: a comprehensive review," Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Engineering and Architecture, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1322–1345, Dec. 2025.
X. Zhang and X. Zhang, "Low-carbon design optimization of reinforced concrete building structures using genetic algorithm," Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 1888–1902, Nov. 2024.
E. N. Kalemci, S. B. İkizler, T. Dede, and Z. Angın, "Design of reinforced concrete cantilever retaining wall using Grey wolf optimization algorithm," Structures, vol. 23, pp. 245–253, Feb. 2020.
V. H. Tran, "Seismic Design Optimization Using an Improved Starfish Optimization Algorithm Integrated with Grey Wolf Optimizer Strategy," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 29341–29346, Dec. 2025.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Cong Chinh Le, Xuan Bao Le, Ngoc Thinh Pham
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
