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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Multidisciplinary System
Design Optimization (MSDO)
Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis
Problem Formulation
Lecture 2
9 February 2004
Karen Willcox
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Today’s Topics
? MDO definition
MDO disciplines
Optimization problem elements
Optimization problem formulation
MDO in the design process
MDO challenges
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
MDO Definition
What is MDO ?
A methodology for the design of complex engineering
systems and subsystems that coherently exploits the
synergism of mutually interacting phenomena
Optimal design of complex engineering systems which
requires analysis that accounts for interactions amongst
the disciplines (= parts of the system)
“How to decide what to change, and to what extent to
change it, when everything influences everything else.”
Ref: AIAA MDO website http://endo.sandia.gov/AIAA_MDOTC/main.html
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Engineering Design Disciplines
Spacecraft:
Astrodynamics
Thermodynamics
Communications
Payload & Sensor
Structures
Optics
Guidance & Control
Automobiles:
Engines
Body/chassis
Aerodynamics
Electronics
Hydraulics
Industrial design
others
Aircraft:
Aerodynamics
Propulsion
Structures
Controls
Avionics/Software
Manufacturing
others
Fairly mature, but advances in theory, methodology,
computation and application foster substantial payoffs
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Multidisciplinary Aspects of Design
Emphasis is on the multidisciplinary nature of the
complex engineering systems design process. Aero-
space vehicles are a particular class of such systems.
Structures
Aerodynamics
Control
Emphasis in recent years has
been on advances that can
be achieved due to the inter-
action of two or more
disciplines.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
System Level Optimization
Why system-level, multidisciplinary optimization ?
Disciplinary specialists tend to strive towards improvement
of objectives and satisfaction of constraints in terms of the
variables of their own discipline
In doing so they generate side effects - often unknowingly-
that other disciplines have to absorb, usually to the
detriment of the overall system performance
Example: High wing aspect ratio aircraft designs
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Concurrent Engineering Disciplines
Must also include the broader set of concurrent
engineering (CE) disciplines.
Manufacturing:
Supportability:
Cost:
Model manufacturing tools and
processes as a function of part
geometry, materials, and assemblies
Model parts reliability and failure rates,
estimated down-time due to repairs etc...
Estimate development, manufacturing and
operations costs. Often cost-estimation
relationships (CER’s)
Prerequisite: Development of realistic, reliable and easy
to use mathematical models for these disciplines - difficult
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Supporting Disciplines
Multidisciplinary design optimization of aerospace
vehicles cannot take place without substantial
contributions from supporting disciplines:
Human Interface Aspects of Design
Intelligent and Knowledge-Based Systems
Computing Aspects of Design
Information Integration and Management.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Human Interface Aspects of Design
It is wrong to think of MDO as “automated” or “push-
button” design:
The human strengths (creativity, intuition, decision-
making) and computer strengths (memory, speed,
objectivity) should complement each other
The human will always be the Meta-designer
Challenges of defining an effective interface –
continuous vs. discrete thinking
Challenges of visualization in multidimensional space,
e.g. search path from initial design to final design
Human element is a key component in
any successful system design methodology
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Human mind is the driving force in the design process,
but mathematics and computers are indispensable tools
AIAA Technical Committee on Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO).
White Paper on Current State of the Art. January 15, 1991.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Qualitative effort stream
Quantitative disciplinary models
high or low aspect
ratio wing?
aero=high,
structures=low
?
Qualitative effort stream
Quantitative multidisciplinary model
high or low aspect ratio
wing for min weight?
overall best aspect ratio
MDO is a way of formalizing the quantitative tool to apply the best
trade-offs. The question provides a metric; the answer accounts for
both disciplinary and interaction information.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Optimization Aspects of Design
Optimization methods have been combined with design
synthesis and parametric analysis for ca. 40 years
Traditionally used graphical methods to find maximum or
minimum of a multivariate function (“carpet plot”), but….
Graphics break down
above 3-4 dimensions
Objective J(x)
D
es
i
gn v
ar
i
a
b
l
e
x
2
D
e
s
ig
n
v
a
r
ia
b
le
x
1
Where is max J(x) ?
Caution: local extrema !
“peaks”
Where is min J(x) ?
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Combinatorial Explosion
For n > 3 a combinatorial “explosion” takes place
and the design space cannot be computed and
plotted in polynomial time
Numerical optimization offers an alternative to the
graphical approach and “brute force” evaluation
Any design can be defined by a vector in
multidimensional space, where each design
variable represents a different dimension
During past two decades much progress has
been made in numerical optimization
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Design Variables
1
2
3
aspect ratio [-]
transmit power [W]
# of apertures [-]
orbital altitude [km]
control gain [V/V]
i
n
x
x
x
x
x
a o a o
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
x
# #
Design vector x contains n variables that form the design space
During design space exploration or optimization we change the
entries of x in some rational fashion to achieve a desired effect
i
x
can be …..
Integer:
i
x ? i
x ? ]
{0,1}
i
x ?
{true, false}
i
x ?
Real:
Binary:
Boolean:
Design variables are “controlled” by the designers
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Objectives
The objective can be a vector J of z system responses
or characteristics we are trying to maximize or minimize
1
2
3
cost [$]
range [km]
weight [kg]
data rate [bps]
ROI [%]
i
z
J
J
J
J
J
a o a o
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
J
# #
Often the objective is a
scalar function, but for
real systems often we
attempt multi-objective
optimization:
xJ(x) 6
Some objectives can be
conflicting.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Parameters
Parameters p are quantities that affect the objective J,
but are considered fixed, i.e. they cannot be changed
by the designers.
Sometimes parameters p can be turned into design
variables x
i
to enlarge the design space.
Sometimes parameters p are former design variables
that were fixed at some value because they were found
not to affect any of the objectives J
i
or because their
optimal level was predetermined.
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Constraints
Constraints act as boundaries of the design space x
and typically occur due to finiteness of resources or
technological limitations of some design variables.
Often, but not always, optimal designs lie at the
intersection of several active constraints
1
2
,,
01,2,
01,2,
1, 2, ,
d
d d
!
!
!
j
k
iLB i iUB
gjm
hkm
xxxi n
x
x
Inequality constraints:
Equality constraints:
Bounds:
Objectives are what we are trying to achieve
Constraints are what we cannot violate
Design variables are what we can change
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Constraints versus Objectives
It can be difficult to choose whether a condition is a
constraint or an objective.
For example: should we try to minimize cost, or should
we set a constraint stating that cost should not exceed
a given level.
The two approaches can lead to different designs.
Sometimes, the initial formulation will need to be
revised in order to fully understand the design space.
In some formulations, all constraints are treated as
objectives (physical programming).
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Example Problem Statement
Minimize the take-off weight of the aircraft by
changing wing geometric parameters while
satisfying the given range and payload
requirements at the given cruise speed.
objective function
constraints
parameter
design variables
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? Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Prof. de Weck and Prof. Willcox
Formal Notation
Quantitative side of the design problem may be formulated
as a problem of Nonlinear Programming (NLP)
,,
1,..., )
min ,
s.t. , 0
,=0
(
d
d d
iLB i iUB
inxxx
Jxp
g(x p)
h(x p)
This is the problem formulation
that we will discuss this semester.
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