Robust Airfoil Optimization with Multi-objective Estimation of Distribution Algorithm

A transonic airfoil designed by means of classical point-optimization may result in its dramatically inferior performance under off-design conditions. To overcome this shortcoming, robust design is proposed to find out the optimal profile of an airfoil to maintain its performance in an uncertain environment. The robust airfoil optimization is aimed to minimize mean values and variances of drag coefficients while satisfying the lift and thickness constraints over a range of Mach numbers. A multi-objective estimation of distribution algorithm is applied to the robust airfoil optimization on the base of the RAE2822 benchmark airfoil. The shape of the airfoil is obtained through superposing ten Hick-Henne shape functions upon the benchmark airfoil. A set of design points is selected according to a uniform design table for aerodynamic evaluation. A Kriging model of drag coefficient is constructed with those points to reduce computing costs. Over the Mach range from 0.7 to 0.8, the airfoil generated by the robust optimization has a configuration characterized by supercritical airfoil with low drag coefficients. The small fluctuation in its drag coefficients means that the performance of the robust airfoil is insensitive to variation of Mach number.

Multi-Objective Optimization of the Ultrasonic Scalpel Rod and Tip with Improved Performance:Vibration Frequency,Amplitude,and Service Life

Ultrasonic scalpel design for minimally invasive surgical procedures is mainly focused on optimizing cutting performance.However,an important issue is the low fatigue life of traditional ultrasonic scalpels,which affects their long-term reliability and effectiveness and creates hidden dangers for surgery.In this study,a multi-objective optimal design for the cutting performance and fatigue life of ultrasonic scalpels was proposed using finite element analysis and fatigue simulation.The optimal design parameters of resonance frequency and amplitude were determined.By setting the transition fillet and keeping the gain structure away from the node position to enable the scalpel to have a high service life with excellent cutting performance.The frequency modulation method of setting the vibration node bosses at the node position and setting the vibration antinode grooves at the antinode position was compared.Then,the mechanism of the influence of various design elements,such as tip,shank,node position,and antinode position,on the resonance frequency,amplitude,and fatigue life of the ultrasonic scalpel was analyzed,and the optimal design principles of the ultrasonic scalpel were obtained.The proposed ultrasonic scalpel design was confirmed by simulations,impedance measurements,and liver tissue cutting experiments,demonstrating its feasibility and enhanced performance.This research introduces innovative design strategies to improve the fatigue life and performance of ultrasonic scalpels to address an important issue in minimally invasive surgery.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Aluminum Alloy Electric Bus Frame Connectors for Enhanced Durability

The widespread adoption of aluminumalloy electric buses,known for their energy efficiency and eco-friendliness,faces a challenge due to the aluminum frame’s susceptibility to deformation compared to steel.This issue is further exacerbated by the stringent requirements imposed by the flammability and explosiveness of batteries,necessitating robust frame protection.Our study aims to optimize the connectors of aluminum alloy bus frames,emphasizing durability,energy efficiency,and safety.This research delves into Multi-Objective Coordinated Optimization(MCO)techniques for lightweight design in aluminum alloy bus body connectors.Our goal is to enhance lightweighting,reinforce energy absorption,and improve deformation resistance in connector components.Three typical aluminum alloy connectors were selected and a design optimization platform was built for their MCO using a variety of software and methods.Firstly,through three-point bending experiments and finite element analysis on three types of connector components,we identified optimized design parameters based on deformation patterns.Then,employing Optimal Latin hypercube design(OLHD),parametric modeling,and neural network approximation,we developed high-precision approximate models for the design parameters of each connector component,targeting energy absorption,mass,and logarithmic strain.Lastly,utilizing the Archive-based Micro Genetic Algorithm(AMGA),Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization(MOPSO),and Non-dominated SortingGenetic Algorithm(NSGA2),we explored optimized design solutions for these joint components.Subsequently,we simulated joint assembly buckling during bus rollover crash scenarios to verify and analyze the optimized solutions in three-point bending simulations.Each joint component showcased a remarkable 30%–40%mass reduction while boosting energy absorption.Our design optimization method exhibits high efficiency and costeffectiveness.Leveraging contemporary automation technology,the design optimization platform developed in this study is poised to facilitate intelligent optimization of lightweight metal components in future applications.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Vehicle Instrument Panel Based on Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm

Typical multidisciplinary design optimization（MDO） has gradually been proposed to balance performances of lightweight, noise, vibration and harshness（NVH） and safety for instrument panel（IP） structure in the automotive development. Nevertheless, plastic constitutive relation of Polypropylene（PP） under different strain rates, has not been taken into consideration in current reliability-based and collaborative IP MDO design. In this paper, based on tensile test under different strain rates, the constitutive relation of Polypropylene material is studied. Impact simulation tests for head and knee bolster are carried out to meet the regulation of FMVSS 201 and FMVSS 208, respectively. NVH analysis is performed to obtain mainly the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes, while the crashworthiness analysis is employed to examine the crash behavior of IP structure. With the consideration of lightweight, NVH, head and knee bolster impact performance, design of experiment（DOE）, response surface model（RSM）, and collaborative optimization（CO） are applied to realize the determined and reliability-based optimizations, respectively. Furthermore, based on multi-objective genetic algorithm（MOGA）, the optimal Pareto sets are completed to solve the multi-objective optimization（MOO） problem. The proposed research ensures the smoothness of Pareto set, enhances the ability of engineers to make a comprehensive decision about multi-objectives and choose the optimal design, and improves the quality and efficiency of MDO.

Multi-objective Optimization Conceptual Design of Product Structure Based on Variable Length Gene Expression

It is a complicated problem for the bottom-to-top adaptive conceptual design of complicated products between structure and function. Reliable theories demand to be found in order to determine whether the structure accords with the requirement of design. For the requirement generally is dynamic variety as time passes, new requirements will come, and some initial requirements can no longer be used. The number of product requirements, the gene length expressing requirements, the structure of the product, and the correlation matrix are varied with individuation of customer requirements of the product. By researching on the calculation mechanisms of dynamic variety, the approaches of gene expression and variable length gene expression are proposed. According to the diversity of structure selection in conceptual design and mutual relations between structure and function as well as structure and structure, the correlation matrixes between structure and function as well as structure and structure are defined. By the approach of making the sum of the elements of correlation matrix maximum, the mathematical models of multi-object optimization for structure design are provided based on variable requirements. An improved genetic algorithm called segment genetic algorithm is proposed based on optimization preservation simple genetic algorithm. The models of multi-object optimization are calculated by the segment genetic algorithm and hybrid genetic algorithm. An example for the conceptual design of a washing machine is given to show that the proposed method is able to realize the optimization structure design fitting for variable requirements. In addition, the proposed approach can provide good Pareto optimization solutions, and the individuation customer requirements for structures of products are able to be resolved effectively.

Time-Variant Reliability-Based Multi-Objective Fuzzy Design Optimization for Anti-Roll Torsion Bar of EMU

Although various types of anti-roll torsion bars have been developed to inhibit excessive roll angle of the electric multiple unit(EMU)car body,it is critical to ensure the reliability of structural design due to the complexity of the problems involving time and uncertainties.To address this issue,amulti-objective fuzzy design optimization model is constructed considering time-variant stiffness and strength reliability constraints for the anti-roll torsion bar.A hybrid optimization strategy combining the design of experiment(DoE)sampling and non-linear programming by quadratic lagrangian(NLPQL)is presented to deal with the design optimization model.To characterize the effect of time on the structural performance of the torsion bar,the continuous-time model combined with Ito lemma is proposed to establish the time-variant stiffness and strength reliability constraints.Fuzzy mathematics is employed to conduct uncertainty quantification for the design parameters of the torsion bar.A physical programming approach is used to improve the designer’s preference and to make the optimization results more consistent with engineering practices.Moreover,the effectiveness of the proposed method has been validated by comparing with current methods in a practical engineering case.

Crashworthiness Design and Multi-Objective Optimization for Bio-Inspired Hierarchical Thin-Walled Structures

Thin-walled structures have been used in many fields due to their superior mechanical properties.In this paper,two types of hierarchical multi-cell tubes,inspired by the self-similarity of Pinus sylvestris,are proposed to enhance structural energy absorption performance.The finite element models of the hierarchical structures are established to validate the crashworthiness performance under axial dynamic load.The theoreticalmodel of themean crushing force is also derived based on the simplified super folded element theory.The finite element results demonstrate that the energy absorption characteristics and deformation mode of the bionic hierarchical thin-walled tubes are further improved with the increase of hierarchical sub-structures.It can be also obtained that the energy absorption performance of corner self-similar tubes is better than edge self-similar tubes.Furthermore,multiobjective optimization of the hierarchical tubes is constructed by employing the response surface method and genetic algorithm,and the corresponding Pareto front diagram is obtained.This research provides a new idea for the crashworthiness design of thin-walled structures.

A Strategy for Multi-objective Optimization under Uncertainty in Chemical Process Design

In many circumstances, chemical process design can be formulated as a multi-objective optimization （MOO） problem. Examples include bi-objective optimization problems, where the economic objective is maximized and environmental impact is minimized simultaneously. Moreover, the random behavior in the process,property, market fluctuation, errors in model prediction and so on would affect the performance of a process. Therefore, it is essential to develop a MOO methodology under uncertainty. In this article, the authors propose a generic and systematic optimization methodology for chemical process design under uncertainty. It aims at identifying the optimal design from a number of candidates. The utility of this methodology is demonstrated by a case study based on the design of a condensate treatment unit in an ammonia plant.

Robust Multi-Objective Optimization of Chromatographic Rare Earth Element Separation

Rare earth elements are strategic commodities in many countries, and an important resource for the growing modern technology industry. As such, there is an increasing interest for development of rare earth element processing, and this work is a part of further development of chromatography as a rare earth element separation process method. Process optimization is pivotal for process development, and it is common that several competing objectives must be regarded. Chromatographic separation processes often consider competing objectives, such as productivity, yield, pool concentration and modifier consumption, which leads to Pareto optimal solutions. Adding robustness to a process is of great importance to account for process disturbances and uncertainties but generally comes with reduced performance of the other process objectives as a trade off. In this study, a model-based robust multi-objective optimization was carried out for batch-wise chromatographic separation of the rare earth elements samarium, europium and gadolinium, which was considered highly un-robust due to the neighbouring peaks proximity to the product pooling horizon. The results from the robust optimization were used to chart the required operation point changes for keeping the amount of failed batches at an acceptable level when a certain level of process disturbance was introduced. The loss of process performance due to the gained robustness was found to be in the range of 10% - 20% reduced productivity when comparing the robust and un-robust Pareto solutions at Pareto points with identical yield. The methodology presented shows how to increase robustness to a highly un-robust system while still keeping multiple objectives at their optima.

Improved Genetic Optimization Algorithm with Subdomain Model for Multi-objective Optimal Design of SPMSM

For an optimal design of a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor(SPMSM),many objective functions should be considered.The classical optimization methods,which have been habitually designed based on magnetic circuit law or finite element analysis(FEA),have inaccuracy or calculation time problems when solving the multi-objective problems.To address these problems,the multi-independent-population genetic algorithm(MGA)combined with subdomain(SD)model are proposed to improve the performance of SPMSM such as magnetic field distribution,cost and efficiency.In order to analyze the flux density harmonics accurately,the accurate SD model is first established.Then,the MGA with time-saving SD model are employed to search for solutions which belong to the Pareto optimal set.Finally,for the purpose of validation,the electromagnetic performance of the new design motor are investigated by FEA,comparing with the initial design and conventional GA optimal design to demonstrate the advantage of MGA optimization method.

Multi-objective aerodynamic optimization design of high-speed maglev train nose

Purpose–The nose length is the key design parameter affecting the aerodynamic performance of high-speed maglev train,and the horizontal profile has a significant impact on the aerodynamic lift of the leading and trailing cars Hence,the study analyzes aerodynamic parameters with multi-objective optimization design.Design/methodology/approach–The nose of normal temperature and normal conduction high-speed maglev train is divided into streamlined part and equipment cabin according to its geometric characteristics.Then the modified vehicle modeling function(VMF)parameterization method and surface discretization method are adopted for the parametric design of the nose.For the 12 key design parameters extracted,combined with computational fluid dynamics(CFD),support vector machine(SVR)model and multi-objective particle swarm optimization(MPSO)algorithm,the multi-objective aerodynamic optimization design of highspeed maglev train nose and the sensitivity analysis of design parameters are carried out with aerodynamic drag coefficient of the whole vehicle and the aerodynamic lift coefficient of the trailing car as the optimization objectives and the aerodynamic lift coefficient of the leading car as the constraint.The engineering improvement and wind tunnel test verification of the optimized shape are done.Findings–Results show that the parametric design method can use less design parameters to describe the nose shape of high-speed maglev train.The prediction accuracy of the SVR model with the reduced amount of calculation and improved optimization efficiency meets the design requirements.Originality/value–Compared with the original shape,the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the whole vehicle is reduced by 19.2%,and the aerodynamic lift coefficients of the leading and trailing cars are reduced by 24.8 and 51.3%,respectively,after adopting the optimized shape modified according to engineering design requirements.

A robust multi-objective and multi-physics optimization of multi-physics behavior of microstructure

A new strategy is presented to solve robust multi-physics multi-objective optimization problem known as improved multi-objective collaborative optimization （IMOCO） and its extension improved multi-objective robust collaborative （IMORCO）. In this work, the proposed IMORCO approach combined the IMOCO method, the worst possible point （WPP） constraint cuts and the Genetic algorithm NSGA-II type as an optimizer in order to solve the robust optimization problem of multi-physics of microstructures with uncertainties. The optimization problem is hierarchically decomposed into two levels： a microstructure level, and a disciplines levels, For validation purposes, two examples were selected： a numerical example, and an engineering example of capacitive micro machined ultrasonic transducers （CMUT） type. The obtained results are compared with those obtained from robust non-distributed and distributed optimization approach, non-distributed multi-objective robust optimization （NDMORO） and multi-objective collaborative robust optimization （McRO）, respectively. Results obtained from the application of the IMOCO approach to an optimization problem of a CMUT cell have reduced the CPU time by 44% ensuring a Pareto front close to the reference non-distributed multi-objective optimization （NDMO） approach （mahalanobis distance, D2M =0.9503 and overall spread, So=0.2309）. In addition, the consideration of robustness in IMORCO approach applied to a CMUT cell of optimization problem under interval uncertainty has reduced the CPU time by 23% keeping a robust Pareto front overlaps with that obtained by the robust NDMORO approach （D2M =10.3869 and So=0.0537）.

PROCESSING PARAMETER OPTIMIZATION OF FDM BASED ON ROBUST DESIGN

The influence of processing parameters on the precision of parts fabricated by fused deposition modeling （FDM） technology is studied based on a series of performed experiments. Processing parameters of FDM in terms of wire-width compensation, extrusion velocity, filing velocity, and layer thickness are chosen as the control fac- tors. Robust design analysis and multi-index fuzzy comprehensive assessment method are used to obtain the opti- mal parameters. Results show that the influencing degrees of these four factors on the precision of as-processed parts are different. The optimizations of individual parameters and their combined effects are of the same impor- tance for a high precision manufacturing.

Multi-objective integrated optimization based on evolutionary strategy with a dynamic weighting schedule

The evolutionary strategy with a dynamic weighting schedule is proposed to find all the compromised solutions of the multi-objective integrated structure and control optimization problem, where the optimal system performance and control cost are defined by H2 or H∞ norms. During this optimization process, the weights are varying with the increasing generation instead of fixed values. The proposed strategy together with the linear matrix inequality （LMI） or the Riccati controller design method can find a series of uniformly distributed nondominated solutions in a single run. Therefore, this method can greatly reduce the computation intensity of the integrated optimization problem compared with the weight-based single objective genetic algorithm. Active automotive suspension is adopted as an example to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

An Integrated Approach for Decision Support through Multi-objective Optimization with Application to an Ill-posed Design Problem

In the current scenario of global competition and short product life cycles, customer-defined satisfaction has attracted interest in artifact design. Accordingly, intelligent decision-making through multi-objective optimization has been proposed as an efficient method for human-centered manufacturing. However, previous vast researches on optimization have been mainly focused on optimization theory and optimization techniques and paid little interests on the process of problem formulation itself. In this paper, therefore, the authors present a total framework for supporting multi-objective decision making. Then, the authors try to solve the formulated multi-objective optimization problem that involves both qualitative and quantitative performance measures as a general consequence from the above procedure. Taking especially quality as a qualitative measure, the authors gave a new idea to evaluate the quality quantitatively. Additionally, to facilitate the portability of the proposed method in multidisciplinary decision-making environments, the authors implement the proposal algorithm in an Excel spreadsheet and validate the effectiveness of the approach through a case study.

Multi-objective reliability optimization design of high-speed heavy-duty gears based on APCK-SORA model

For high-speed heavy-duty gears in operation is prone to high tooth surface temperature rise and thus produce tooth surface gluing leading to transmission failure and other adverse effects,but in the gear optimization design and little consideration of thermal transmission errors and thermal resonance and other factors,while the conventional multi-objective optimization design methods are difficult to achieve the optimum of each objective.Based on this,the paper proposes a gear multi-objective reliability optimisation design method based on the APCK-SORA model.The PC-Kriging model and the adaptive k-means clustering method are combined to construct an adaptive reliability analysis method(APCK for short),which is then integrated with the SORA optimisation algorithm.The objective function is the lightweight of gear pair,the maximum overlap degree and the maximum anti-glue strength;the basic parameters of the gear and the sensitivity parameters affecting the thermal deformation and thermal resonance of the gear are used as design variables;the amount of thermal deformation and thermal resonance,as well as the contact strength of the tooth face and the bending strength of the tooth root are used as constraints;the optimisation results show that:the mass of the gear is reduced by 0.13kg,the degree of overlap is increased by 0.016 and the coefficient of safety against galling Compared with other methods,the proposed method is more efficient than the other methods in meeting the multi-objective reliability design requirements of lightweighting,ensuring smoothness and anti-galling capability of high-speed heavy-duty gears.

Reliability-based Robust Optimization Design of Automobile Components with Non-normal Distribution Parameters

In the reliability designing procedure of the vehicle components, when the distribution styles of the random variables are unknown or non-normal distribution, the result evaluated contains great error or even is wrong if the reliability value R is larger than 1 by using the existent method, in which case the formula is necessary to be revised. This is obviously inconvenient for programming. Combining reliability-based optimization theory, robust designing method and reliability based sensitivity analysis, a new method for reliability robust designing is proposed. Therefore the influence level of the designing parameters’ changing to the reliability of vehicle components can be obtained. The reliability sensitivity with respect to design parameters is viewed as a sub-objective function in the multi-objective optimization problem satisfying reliability constraints. Given the first four moments of basic random variables, a fourth-moment technique and the proposed optimization procedure can obtain reliability-based robust design of automobile components with non-normal distribution parameters accurately and quickly. By using the proposed method, the distribution style of the random parameters is relaxed. Therefore it is much closer to the actual reliability problems. The numerical examples indicate the following: (1) The reliability value obtained by the robust method proposed increases (】0.04%) comparing to the value obtained by the ordinary optimization algorithm; (2) The absolute value of reliability-based sensitivity decreases (】0.01%), and the robustness of the products’ quality is improved accordingly. Utilizing the reliability-based optimization and robust design method in the reliability designing procedure reduces the manufacture cost and provides the theoretical basis for the reliability and robust design of the vehicle components.

Sequential multi-objective optimization of thin-walled aluminum alloy tube bending under various uncertainties

Combining the design of experiments(DOE)and three-dimensional finite element(3D-FE)method,a sequential multiobjectiveoptimization of larger diameter thin-walled(LDTW)Al-alloy tube bending under uncertainties was proposed andimplemented based on the deterministic design results.Via the fractional factorial design,the significant noise factors are obtained,viz,variations of tube properties,fluctuations of tube geometries and friction.Using the virtual Taguchi’s DOE of inner and outerarrays,considering three major defects,the robust optimization of LDTW Al-alloy tube bending is achieved and validated.For thebending tools,the robust design of mandrel diameter was conducted under the fluctuations of tube properties,friction and tubegeometry.For the processing parameters,considering the variations of friction,material properties and manufacture deviation ofmandrel,the robust design of mandrel extension length and boosting ratio is realized.

Multi-parameter Sensitivity Analysis and Application Research in the Robust Optimization Design for Complex Nonlinear System

The current research of complex nonlinear system robust optimization mainly focuses on the features of design parameters, such as probability density functions, boundary conditions, etc. After parameters study, high-dimensional curve or robust control design is used to find an accurate robust solution. However, there may exist complex interaction between parameters and practical engineering system. With the increase of the number of parameters, it is getting hard to determine high-dimensional curves and robust control methods, thus it＇s difficult to get the robust design solutions. In this paper, a method of global sensitivity analysis based on divided variables in groups is proposed. By making relevant variables in one group and keeping each other independent among sets of variables, global sensitivity analysis is conducted in grouped variables and the importance of parameters is evaluated by calculating the contribution value of each parameter to the total variance of system response. By ranking the importance of input parameters, relatively important parameters are chosen to conduct robust design analysis of the system. By applying this method to the robust optimization design of a real complex nonlinear system-a vehicle occupant restraint system with multi-parameter, good solution is gained and the response variance of the objective function is reduced to 0.01, which indicates that the robustness of the occupant restraint system is improved in a great degree and the method is effective and valuable for the robust design of complex nonlinear system. This research proposes a new method which can be used to obtain solutions for complex nonlinear system robust design.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ROBUST OPTIMIZATION DESIGN

Because uncertainty factors inevitably exist under multidisciplinary designenvironment, a hierarchical multidisciplinary robust optimization design based on response surfaceis proposed. The method constructs optimization model of subsystem level and system level tocoordinate the coupling among subsystems, and also the response surface based on the artificialneural network is introduced to provide information for system level optimization tool to maintainthe independence of subsystems, i.e. to realize multidisciplinary parallel design. The applicationcase of electrical packaging demonstrates that reasonable robust optimum solution can be yielded andit is a potential and efficient multi-disciplinary robust optimization approach.