Development of an automated aircraft subsystem architecture generation and analysis tool

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a new computational framework to address future preliminary design needs for aircraft subsystems. The ability to investigate multiple candidate technologies forming subsystem architectures is enabled with the provision of automated architecture generation, analysis and optimization. Main focus lies with a demonstration of the frameworks workings, as well as the optimizers performance with a typical form of application problem. Design/methodology/approach – The core aspects involve a functional decomposition, coupled with a synergistic mission performance analysis on the aircraft, architecture and component levels. This may be followed by a complete enumeration of architectures, combined with a user defined technology filtering and concept ranking procedure. In addition, a hybrid heuristic optimizer, based on ant systems optimization and a genetic algorithm, is employed to produce optimal architectures in both component composition and design parameters. The optimizer is tested on a generic architecture design problem combined with modified Griewank and parabolic functions for the continuous space. Findings – Insights from the generalized application problem show consistent rediscovery of the optimal architectures with the optimizer, as compared to a full problem enumeration. In addition multi-objective optimization reveals a Pareto front with differences in component composition as well as continuous parameters. Research limitations/implications – This paper demonstrates the frameworks application on a generalized test problem only. Further publication will consider real engineering design problems. Originality/value – The paper addresses the need for future conceptual design methods of complex systems to consider a mixed concept space of both discrete and continuous nature via automated methods

Multiobjective optimization of electromagnetic structures based on self-organizing migration

Práce se zabývá popisem nového stochastického vícekriteriálního optimalizačního algoritmu MOSOMA (Multiobjective Self-Organizing Migrating Algorithm). Je zde ukázáno, že algoritmus je schopen řešit nejrůznější typy optimalizačních úloh (s jakýmkoli počtem kritérií, s i bez omezujících podmínek, se spojitým i diskrétním stavovým prostorem). Výsledky algoritmu jsou srovnány s dalšími běžně používanými metodami pro vícekriteriální optimalizaci na velké sadě testovacích úloh. Uvedli jsme novou techniku pro výpočet metriky rozprostření (spread) založené na hledání minimální kostry grafu (Minimum Spanning Tree) pro problémy mající více než dvě kritéria. Doporučené hodnoty pro parametry řídící běh algoritmu byly určeny na základě výsledků jejich citlivostní analýzy. Algoritmus MOSOMA je dále úspěšně použit pro řešení různých návrhových úloh z oblasti elektromagnetismu (návrh Yagi-Uda antény a dielektrických filtrů, adaptivní řízení vyzařovaného svazku v časové oblasti…).This thesis describes a novel stochastic multi-objective optimization algorithm called MOSOMA (Multi-Objective Self-Organizing Migrating Algorithm). It is shown that MOSOMA is able to solve various types of multi-objective optimization problems (with any number of objectives, unconstrained or constrained problems, with continuous or discrete decision space). The efficiency of MOSOMA is compared with other commonly used optimization techniques on a large suite of test problems. The new procedure based on finding of minimum spanning tree for computing the spread metric for problems with more than two objectives is proposed. Recommended values of parameters controlling the run of MOSOMA are derived according to their sensitivity analysis. The ability of MOSOMA to solve real-life problems from electromagnetics is shown in a few examples (Yagi-Uda and dielectric filters design, adaptive beam forming in time domain…).

Metaheuristic design of feedforward neural networks: a review of two decades of research

Over the past two decades, the feedforward neural network (FNN) optimization has been a key interest among the researchers and practitioners of multiple disciplines. The FNN optimization is often viewed from the various perspectives: the optimization of weights, network architecture, activation nodes, learning parameters, learning environment, etc. Researchers adopted such different viewpoints mainly to improve the FNN's generalization ability. The gradient-descent algorithm such as backpropagation has been widely applied to optimize the FNNs. Its success is evident from the FNN's application to numerous real-world problems. However, due to the limitations of the gradient-based optimization methods, the metaheuristic algorithms including the evolutionary algorithms, swarm intelligence, etc., are still being widely explored by the researchers aiming to obtain generalized FNN for a given problem. This article attempts to summarize a broad spectrum of FNN optimization methodologies including conventional and metaheuristic approaches. This article also tries to connect various research directions emerged out of the FNN optimization practices, such as evolving neural network (NN), cooperative coevolution NN, complex-valued NN, deep learning, extreme learning machine, quantum NN, etc. Additionally, it provides interesting research challenges for future research to cope-up with the present information processing era

Simulation studies on the design of optimum PID controllers to suppress chaotic oscillations in a family of Lorenz-like multi-wing attractors

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Multi-wing chaotic attractors are highly complex nonlinear dynamical systems with higher number of index-2 equilibrium points. Due to the presence of several equilibrium points, randomness and hence the complexity of the state time series for these multi-wing chaotic systems is much higher than that of the conventional double-wing chaotic attractors. A real-coded Genetic Algorithm (GA) based global optimization framework has been adopted in this paper as a common template for designing optimum Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers in order to control the state trajectories of four different multi-wing chaotic systems among the Lorenz family viz. Lu system, Chen system, Rucklidge (or Shimizu Morioka) system and Sprott-1 system. Robustness of the control scheme for different initial conditions of the multi-wing chaotic systems has also been shown

Set-based approach to passenger aircraft family design

Presented is a method for the design of passenger aircraft families. Existing point-based methods found in the literature employ sequential approaches in which a single design solution is selected early and is then iteratively modified until all requirements are satisfied. The challenge with such approaches is that the design is driven toward a solution that, although promising to the optimizer, may be infeasible due to factors not considered by the models. The proposed method generates multiple solutions at the outset. Then, the infeasible solutions are discarded gradually through constraint satisfaction and set intersection. The method has been evaluated through a notional example of a three-member aircraft family design. The conclusion is that point-based design is still seen as preferable for incremental (conventional) designs based on a wealth of validated empirical methods, whereas the proposed approach, although resource-intensive, is seen as more suited to innovative designs

Many-Objective Hybrid Optimization Under Uncertainty With Applications

A novel method for solving many-objective optimization problems under uncertainty was developed. It is well known that no single optimization algorithm performs best for all problems. Therefore, the developed method, a many-objective hybrid optimizer (MOHO), uses five constitutive algorithms and actively switches between them throughout the optimization process allowing for robust optimization. MOHO monitors the progress made by each of the five algorithms and allows the best performing algorithm more attempts at finding the optimum. This removes the need for user input for selecting algorithm as the best performing algorithm is automatically selected thereby increasing the probability of converging to the optimum. An uncertainty quantification framework, based on sparse polynomial chaos expansion, to propagate the uncertainties in the input parameter to the objective functions was also developed and validated. Where the samples and analysis runs needed for standard polynomial chaos expansion increases exponentially with the dimensionality, the presented sparse polynomial chaos approach efficiently propagates the uncertainty with only a few samples, thereby greatly reducing the computational cost. The performance of MOHO was investigated on a total of 65 analytical test problems from the DTLZ and WFG test suite, for which the analytical solution is known. MOHO is also applied to two additional real-life cases of aerodynamic shape design of subsonic and hypersonic bodies. Aerodynamic shape optimization is often computationally expensive and is, therefore, a good test case to investigate MOHO`s ability to reduce the computational time through robust optimization and accelerated convergence. The subsonic design optimization had three objectives: maximize lift and minimize drag and moment. The hypersonic design optimization had two objectives: maximize volume and minimize drag. Two accelerated solvers based on fast multipole method and Newton impact theory are developed for simulating subsonic and hypersonic flows. The results show that MOHO performed, on average, better than all five remaining algorithms in 52% of the DTLZ+WFG problems. The results of robust optimization of a subsonic body and hypersonic bodies were in good agreement with theory. The MOHO developed is capable of solving many-objective, multi-objective and single objective, constrained and unconstrained optimization problems with and without uncertainty with little user input

Modularity Analysis and Commonality Optimization for the Top-down Platform-Based Product Family Design

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Optimal Placement of Metal Foils in Ultrasonic Consolidation Process

Ultrasonic Consolidation is a combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes resulting in considerable material waste. This waste is a function of the geometry of the part being manufactured and of the relative placement of the layer with respect to the metal bands. Thus the waste may be minimized by careful choice of the layer angle and offset from the original position. Previous work done in this field had developed an automated algorithm which optimally places and orients the individual slices of the STL file of the artifact being manufactured. However, the problem was solved on a 2-D scale and the 3- D nature of the part was not considered for the development of the algorithm. The earlier algorithm employed approximation on the input data to minimize the computational expense. This resulted in convergence of the optimizer to suboptimal solutions. Further, as the final part is made of anisotropic material the relative angles and overlap between subsequent layers also plays an important role in the final part strength. Finally, it is noted that the build time required for the ultrasonic consolidation process is a function of the number of bands required to form each slice. Considering these limitations and opportunities, this thesis presents an algorithm which optimally orients and places the part layers with respect to aluminum bands in order to minimize the waste formed and the build time required. The algorithm has the capability of increasing the part strength by forming crisscross and brick structures using the metal foils. This research work also improves on the previous algorithm by extending the functionality of the algorithm by building in capability to handle multiple loops within the same slice and non convex slice data. Further, the research studies the choice of optimizer that needs to be employed for different types of input data