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Georgios Gaganelis, Peter Mark

• A three‐phase topology optimization is applied to a conventional reinforced concrete (RC) beam loaded in four‐point bending. The aim is to reduce material amounts to a minimum while preserving load bearing capacity and stiffness. The optimization result is converted into two alternative designs, namely a RC truss structure and a hybrid concrete‐steel (HCS) truss structure. The RC truss structure is constructed in conventional reinforced concrete. By contrast, the HCS truss structure is designed using ultra‐high performance fiber‐reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) and S355 structural steel. Experimental studies demonstrate a 53% reduction in weight of the RC truss structure compared to the reference beam, while achieving a similar load bearing capacity and a significantly higher stiffness, albeit by increasing the structure's height. For the HCS truss structure, the weight saving is considerably higher, namely 83%, whereas the load bearing capacity can be increased by 10%. The stiffness remains comparable to that of the RC truss structure by increasing the structure's height likewise, while a more ductile type of failure is achieved.