John Rasmussen

Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Computer-Aided Engineering Design

Engineering Design Optimization

- a course in two parts
Part 1, Lectures 1 - 5: What you can do with optimization
P Practical uses of optimization, problem types, terms, graphical solutions P Design optimization systems. Try out ODESSY. P Optimization with spreadsheets P Identification, integer problems, topology optimization. P Optimization for analysis, optimization as design principle, biological systems, the human body, optimization of ergonomy.

Part 2, Lectures 6 - 10 : The techniques behind optimization

P Mathematical foundation. Methods for minimization of functions of one variable. P Functions of multiple variables P Solution of problems with constraints P Sequential programming P Sensitivity analysis, multicriterion problems, response surface methods.

CAD

ODESSY

AnyBody

P Development of computer methods for design P Designoptimization based on finite element analysis P Biomechanics P Spin-off: Rational Engineering. Solution of industrial problems
John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001

The first part

Primarily using the book and pre-programmed software
P Lecture 1: The book, pen and paper P Lecture 2: ODESSY downloaded from www P Lecture 3: Excel, Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3 or another spreadsheet. P Lecture 4: ODESSY topology optimization P Lecture 5: Possibly experiments with AnyBody

The second part

You develop your own algorithms in C, FORTRAN, Pascal, Java, Matlab, or whatever you prefer.
P Lecture 6: A golden section algorithm P Lecture 7: A conjugate gradient algorithm using golden section as subroutine P A penalty algorithm using conjugate gradients as subroutine P Lecture 9: Play around with pre-programmed SLP algorithm. P Lecture 10: Not yet determined. Perhaps Catia.

Lecture 1
Introduction
P The Books P Optimization in the design process - analysis and synthesis P Explicit and implicit problems P Optimization in commercial computer systems P Definition of optimization problems P Properties and graphical solution of optimization problems P Introduction to sensitivity analysis

The Books
Aroras text is the main book of the course. It is a very practical guide to optimization for engineering applications. It contains enough theory to explain what is going on, but not more than that. For people wishing to develop their own optimization software, the best reference is: G.N. Vanderplaats: Numerical Optimization Techniques for Engineering Design. It focuses entirely on algorithms. Haftka, Grdal & Kamat: Elements of Structural Optimization has both theory and applications, but is mostly directed towards structures. Various papers and notes will be available from http://www.ime.auc.dk/~jr for download.

To read: Arora, chapts. 1 and 2. Assignments: Arora, problems 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.8, 2.13

We begin with something completely different

The Design Process

- about the nature of the design process, and what can be learned from treating things systematically

The 2nd law of thermodynamics states that entropy $0: Everything is getting more messy all the time!
P Thermodynamics is hardly the part of physics that enjoys the most popularity among ordinary people. Yet, its finer points influence our lives so much that we all unconsciously relate to them. P Positive entropy is the depressing message that everything degenerates, dissolves, evaporates, vanishes, goes out of date, rusts, gets dissipated. In time, the whole universe will be one homogenious, grey soup with uniform temperature and density.

Warning: This will be slightly philosophical

John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001

Termodynamics
- is based on statistics

Life, the Universe and everything

P The 2nd law of themodynamics is responsible for our bodily degeneration and ultimate death. P Our survival instinct is a lifelong, futile battle against this inevitable fact. We are bound to loose, life is absurd, and we seek comfort and explanation in religion and the hope for eternal life. P Thermodynamics is more important to us than most people think.

We drop a glass. The potential energy of the glass is dissipated in the floor as heat.

Thermodynamics is a matter of statistics. We expect the dropped glass to stay on the floor. We do not expect it to suddently jump back into our hands. It could possibly happen, but it is very, very unlikely.

We tend to regard it as a miracle when something appears to defy the laws of thermodynamics.

The magic of design Why do we see life as a miracle?

What is the fundamental property of life? Many see design as a creative art.

Lifes fundamental property is its ability to reproduce itself indefinitely. Though we grow old and die, we do produce copies of ourselves that are brand new and perfect. We die, but the species survives. Life appears to defy the laws of nature, so it must be a miracle!
Design produces order from chaos, so it has that hint of cheating the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Many artists regard their design process as a product of divine inspiration and resist any attempt to analyze it.
Forfatteren Bjarne Reuter med sit nyfdte barn i 1991. (Ud & se, oktober 2000).

What we think we know about the design process

Design is a process: something developing in time.

Design is an iterative process

We move in small loops towards the final goal
Problem

Recognition of a need
Time

Death of the product

Solution
Time

P Et products life cycle develops in time starting with an idea or recognition of a need and ending with the consequences of the product for customers, users, share holders, etc. P Decisions in the design phase determine the products destiny and its influence on the environment. P Interpretation: the whole thing is a model where input in terms of decisions produce output in terms of consequences. PWe usually dont know the products consequences before it has been prodices, applied and even recycled; it is a very complicated model!
John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001

Analysis

Synthesis

Synthesis: to create a product with desired properties Analysis: to find the properties of the product, i.e., its consequences. Synthesis is inverse analysis!

Syntesis is inverse analysis!

This is great news. If we have an analysis method, then we just need to invert it, and we can do design.

Design is inverse analysis

Does this mean that if we can analyse automatically, we can also design automatically?

Input: Design Output: Design

Analysis Inverse analysis

Output: Properties Input: Desired properties

P Answer: Yes, if we can reverse the analysis process, we can do design. P Reversal is difficult, but optimization can do it! (sometimes) P The main problem: analysis is IMPLICIT

Optimization is a som mathematical method toat invert analysis! Optimering kan opfattes en matematisk teknik til reversere analyse.

The Design Process

Optimization
- is a mathematical metod, and it requires formalization of the design process. Let us identify the components involved:

Need
Transport a person from A to B Conceptuel phase Choice of components Detailed design

Solution
Time

P The design space: all imaginable designs. P Design criterion, objective function. The measure of quality. P Requirements, constraints. P Analysis, prediction of consequence, simulation.

Definition of a design problem

- is not as easy as you might think
Arora says: Defining a problem correctly takes about half of the total effort to solve it. This is absolutely right.

Matematical programming
The problem below is solvable if you have a model, typically a computer model, that can compute functions g for given values of vector x

Example: Design a bicycle Attractive properties: P Stiffness

P Lightness P Low cost P Durability

Minimize go(x) ,

Objective function

x = {x1 , x2 , ... , xn} i = 1..m

The design space

Subject to gi(x) # Gi ,

These are conflicting criteria. The design problem is not well-posed unless you speify a trade-off between the desires or convert all but one to constraints.
John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001

As many constraints as necessary

Optimization
- graphical interpretation
x2

Analysis
- eksplicit and implicit

g (x) = G 2 2

Unconstrained optimum

V = hBD/4
Constrained optimum Feasible domain
g (x) = G 1 1 x1 Well-posed design problems can have many constraints but never more than one objective!

0.5 l

FE Analysis

Model types in optimization

Sizing, shape and topology optimization

When is optimization useful?

We use optimization when we dont have our design problems under complete control.

Topology
Conceptuel phase Choice of components

Shape

Sizing
Detailed design

P When there are many design variables (more than 2) P When we have a difficult physics problem P Whsn fair is not good enough

Size of a simple design space Optimization is useful

...when the design space it too large for intuition
Design spaces tend to be larger than they appear at first glance. The frame on the right has 11 members. Let us assume the very simple design problem of finding cross sectional areas of the tubes. Let us furthermore limit the search to 5 different standars tube sizes. The design spaces size is then 511 = 49 million different designs! There is no way a designer could manually check all these combinations, and no engineer can find the best combination by intuition alone. Optimization can solve this problem in a few seconds on an inexpensive computer.
John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001

... it could get even worse

F 11 cross sectional areas 6 x 2 node coordinates = 23 design variables 3 values of each: 323 years = 9.4e23 combinations. 1 comb/sek 3000

Optimization is useful
... when the problem is complicated In this turbine wheel, the load, temperature distribution and material strength depend on the shape. This makes it very difficult to understand the physics of the problem, and optimization is the only possible design tool.

Optimization is useful
... when fair is not good enough

Hi-tec or very competitive industries cannot survive unless they do their very best. For people in spaceships, survival should be taken very literally.

Optimization is useful
... as an aesthetic design tool

Problem 2.2

Kai-Uwe Bletzinger, Institut fr Baustatik, Universitt Karlsruhe, http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~baustatik/Mitarbeiter/kub.html

P Design space: all possible membrane shapes P Objective. Technical: minimum ressource. Real: the beauty of minimal surfaces P Constraints: structural integrity

Problem 2.2
Solution
We must find out how much gasoline (G) and how much lube (L) to produce. The objective function is the profit: F = 50G + 120L - 30A - 36B We have to decide which variables to formulate the problem in. We choose A and B, and use the mixing proportions to eliminate G and L: G = 0.6A + 0.8B, L = 0.4A + 0.2B F = 50(0.6A + 0.8B) + 120(0.4A + 0.2B) - 30A - 36B = 48A + 28B We have constraints on resources of A and B and of the market for G and L: A # 20000 B # 30000 G = 0.6A + 0.8B # 20000 L = 0.4A + 0.2B # 10000
John Rasmussen, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, 2001