Physics-Informed Decision Framework for Reuse of Reclaimed Steel Members Under Uncertainty

Structural steel reuse can gain large embodied-carbon savings, yet it is still not widely adopted since approval depends on the quality of the evidence, how uncertainty is handled, and if the design requirements are followed, not just on resistance. Reclaimed members frequently lack dependable documentation regarding material grade, loading history, boundary conditions, connection status, and degradation. For reuse decisions, conservative default assumptions protect safety but frequently eliminate qualified reuse options. This research examines data-driven and physics-informed computational methods from a decision-making standpoint, contending that their significance resides in facilitating an auditable…