• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.662-674
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• 2017

This paper describes the multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) process of a tailless unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) using global variable fidelity aerodynamic analysis. The developed tailless UAV design framework combines multiple disciplines that are based on low-fidelity and empirical analysis methods. An automated high-fidelity aerodynamic analysis is efficiently integrated into the MDO framework. Global variable fidelity modeling algorithm manages the use of the high-fidelity analysis to enhance the overall accuracy of the MDO by providing the initial sampling of the design space with iterative refinement of the approximation model in the neighborhood of the optimum solution. A design formulation was established considering a specific aerodynamic, stability and control design features of a tailless aircraft configuration with a UCAV specific mission profile. Design optimization problems with low-fidelity and variable fidelity analyses were successfully solved. The objective function improvement is 14.5% and 15.9% with low and variable fidelity optimization respectively. Results also indicate that low-fidelity analysis overestimates the value of lift-to-drag ratio by 3-5%, while the variable fidelity results are equal to the high-fidelity analysis results by algorithm definition.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.359-372
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• 1995

This study presents an efficient method for optimum design of plate and shell structures, when the design variables are continuous or discrete. Both sizing and shape design variables are considered. First the structural responses such as element forces are approximated in terms of some intermediate variables. By substituting these approximate relations into the original design problem, an explicit nonlinear approximate design task with high quality approximation is achieved. This problem with continuous variables, can be solved by means of numerical optimization techniques very efficiently, the results of which are then used for discrete variable optimization. Now, the approximate problem is converted into a sequence of second level approximation problems of separable form and each of which is solved by a dual strategy with discrete design variables. The approach is efficient in terms of the number of required structural analyses, as well as the overall computational cost of optimization. Examples are offered and compared with other methods to demonstrate the features of the proposed method.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.49-61
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• 2015

We study the problem of multiple response optimization (MRO) and focus on the selection of input levels which will produce desirable output quality. We propose an interactive multiple objective optimization approach to the input design. The earlier interactive methods utilized for MRO communicate with the decision maker only using the response variable values, in order to improve the current response values, thereby resulting in the corresponding design solution automatically. In their interaction steps of preference articulation, no account is taken of any active changes in design variable values. On the contrary, our approach permits the decision maker to change the design variable values in its interaction stage, which makes possible the consideration of the preference or economics of the design variable side. Using some typical value functions, we also demonstrate that our method converges reasonably well to the known optimal solutions.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1574-1582
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• 2004

Binary manipulators have recently received much attention due to hyper-redundancy, light weight, good controllability and high reliability. The precise positioning of the manipulator end-effecter requires the use of many modules, which results in a high-dimensional workspace. When the workspace dimension is large, existing inverse kinematics methods such as the Ebert-Uphoff algorithm may require impractically large memory size in determining the binary positions of all actuators. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new inverse kinematics algorithm: the inverse kinematics problem is formulated as an optimization problem using real-valued design variables, The key procedure in this approach is to transform the integer-variable optimization problem to a real-variable optimization problem and to push the real-valued design variables as closely as possible to the permissible binary values. Since the actual optimization is performed in real-valued design variables, the design sensitivity becomes readily available, and the optimization method becomes extremely efficient. Because the proposed formulation is quite general, other design considerations such as operation power minimization can be easily considered.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.12-23
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• 1994

This paper proposes an optimal design software for the open-chain dynamic systems whose governing equations are expressed as differential equation. In this software, an input module and an automatic creation module of the equation of motion are developed to contrive the user's convenience. To analyze the equation of motion of the dynamic systems, variable-order and variable-stepsize Adams-Bashforth-Moulton predictor-corrector method is used to improve the efficiency. For the optimization and the design sensitivity analysis, ALM(augmented lagrange multiplier)method and adjoint variable method are adopted respectively. An output module with which the user can compare and investigate the analysis and the optimization results through tables and graphs is also provided. The developed software is applied to three typical dynamic response optimization problems, and the results compare very well with those available in the literature, demonstrating its effectiveness.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.286-293
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• 2009

In this paper, we present an optimal shape design method for a dielectric microlens which is used to focus an incoming infrared plane wave in wideband, by exploiting the finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique and the topology optimization technique. Topology optimization is a scheme to search an optimal shape by adjusting the material properties, which are design variables, within the design space. And by introducing the adjoint variable method, we can effectively calculate a derivative of the objective function with respect to the design variable. To verify the proposed method, a shape design problem of a dielectric microlens is tested when illuminated by a transverse electric (TE)-polarized infrared plane wave. In this problem, the design variable is the dielectric constant within the design space of a dielectric microlens. The design objective is to maximally focus the incoming magnetic field at a specific point in wideband.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.57-65
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• 2009

An efficient and high-fidelity design approach for wing-body shape optimization is presented. Depending on the size of design space and the number of design of variable, aerodynamic shape optimization process is carried out via different optimization strategies at each design stage. In the first stage, global optimization techniques are applied to planform design with a few geometric design variables. In the second stage, local optimization techniques are used for wing surface design with a lot of design variables to maintain a sufficient design space with a high DOF (Degree of Freedom) geometric change. For global optimization, Kriging method in conjunction with Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used. Asearching algorithm of EI (Expected Improvement) points is introduced to enhance the quality of global optimization for the wing-planform design. For local optimization, a discrete adjoint method is adopted. By the successive combination of global and local optimization techniques, drag minimization is performed for a multi-body aircraft configuration while maintaining the baseline lift and the wing weight at the same time. Through the design process, performances of the test models are remarkably improved in comparison with the single stage design approach. The performance of the proposed design framework including wing planform design variables can be efficiently evaluated by the drag decomposition method, which can examine the improvement of various drag components, such as induced drag, wave drag, viscous drag and profile drag.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.335-342
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• 2002

A continuum-based design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method fur non-shape problems is developed for geometrically nonlinear elastic structures. The non-shape problem is characterized by the design variables that are not associated with the domain of system like sizing, material property, loading, and so on. Total Lagrangian formulation with the Green-Lagrange strain and the second Piola-Kirchhoff stress is employed to describe the geometrically nonlinear structures. The spatial domain is discretized using the 4-node isoparametric plane stress/strain elements. The resulting nonlinear system is solved using the Newton-Raphson iterative method. To take advantage of the derived analytical sensitivity In topology optimization, a fast and efficient design sensitivity analysis method, adjoint variable method, is employed and the material property of each element is selected as non-shape design variable. Combining the design sensitivity analysis method and a gradient-based design optimization algorithm, an automated design optimization method is developed. The comparison of the analytical sensitivity with the finite difference results shows excellent agreement. Also application to the topology design optimization problem suggests a very good insight for the layout design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.129-145
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• 2020

In typical, structural topology optimization plays a significant role to both increase stiffness and save mass of structures in the resulting design. This study contributes to a new numerical approach of topologically optimal design of Mindlin-Reissner plates considering Winkler foundation and mathematical formulations of multi-directional variable thickness of the plate by using multi-materials. While achieving optimal multi-material topologies of the plate with multi-directional variable thickness, the weight information of structures in terms of effective utilization of the material at the appropriate thickness location may be provided for engineers and designers of structures. Besides, numerical techniques of the well-established mixed interpolation of tensorial components 4 element (MITC4) is utilized to overcome a well-known shear locking problem occurring to thin plate models. The well-founded mathematical formulation of topology optimization problem with variable thickness Mindlin-Reissner plate structures by using multiple materials is derived in detail as one of main achievements of this article. Numerical examples verify that variable thickness Mindlin-Reissner plates on Winkler foundation have a significant effect on topologically optimal multi-material design results.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2016

Tensairity girder is a light weight inflatable fabric structural concept which can be used in road emergency transportation. It uses low pressure air to stabilize compression elements against buckling. With the purpose of obtaining the comprehensive target of minimum deflection and weight under ultimate load, the cross-section and the inner pressure of tensairity girder was optimized in this paper. The Variable Complexity Modeling (VCM) method was used in this paper combining the Kriging approximate method with the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) method, which was implemented by ABAQUS. In the Kriging method, the sample points of the surrogate model were outlined by Design of Experiment (DOE) technique based on Optimal Latin Hypercube. The optimization framework was constructed in iSIGHT with a global optimization method, Multi-Island Genetic Algorithm (MIGA), followed by a local optimization method, Sequential Quadratic Program (SQP). The result of the optimization gives a prominent conceptual design of the tensairity girder, which approves the solution architecture of VCM is feasible and efficient. Furthermore, a useful trend of sensitivity between optimization variables and responses was performed to guide future design. It was proved that the inner pressure is the key parameter to balance the maximum Von Mises stress and deflection on tensairity girder, and the parameters of cross section impact the mass of tensairity girder obviously.