• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.163-170
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• 1997

The present paper describes an investigation into the application of the genetic algorithm(GA) in the optimization of structural design. Stochastic processes generate an initial population of designs and then apply principles of natural selection/survival of the fittest to improve the designs. The five test functions are used to verify the robustness and reliability of GA, and as a numerical example, minimum weight of a cantilever composite laminated beam with a mix of continuous, integer and discrete design variables is obtained by using GA with exterior penalty function method. The design problem has constraints on strength, displacements, and natural frequencies, and is formulated to a multidimensional nonlinear form. From the results, it is found that the GA search technique is very effective at finding the good optimum solution as well as has higher robustness.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.597-609
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• 2010

A problem formulation and solution methodology for design optimization of laminated thin-walled composite beams of generic section is presented. Objective functions and constraint equations are given in the form of beam stiffness. For two different problems one for open section and the other for closed section, the objective function considered is bending stiffness about x-axis. Depending upon the case, one can consider bending, torsional and axial stiffnesses. The different search and optimization algorithm, known as Evolution Strategies (ES) has been applied to find the optimal fibre orientation of composite laminates. A multi-level optimization approach is also implemented by narrowing down the size of search space for individual design variables in each successive level of optimization process. The numerical results presented demonstrate the computational advantage of the proposed method "Evolution strategies" which become pronounced to solve optimization of thin-walled composite beams of generic section.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.122-130
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• 2001

In order to improve the efficiency of the design process and the quality of the resulting design, this study proposes a design method for determining design variables of an automotive wheel-bearing unit of double-row angular-contact ball bearing type by using a genetic algorithm. The desired performance of the wheel-bearing unit is to maximize system life while satisfying geometrical and operational constraints without enlarging mounting spae. The use of gradient-based optimization methods for the design of the unit is restricted because this design problem is characterized by the presence of discrete design variables such as the number of balls and standard ball diameter. Therefore, the design problem of rolling element bearings is a constrained discrete optimization problem. A genetic algorithm using real coding and dynamic mutation rate is used to efficiently find the optimum discrete design values. To effectively deal with the design constraints, a ranking method is suggested for constructing a fitness function in the genetic algorithm. A computer program is developed and applied to the design of a real wheel-bearing unit model to evaluate the proposed design method. Optimum design results demonstrate the effectiveness of the design method suggested in this study by showing that the system life of an optimally designed wheel-bearing unit is enhanced in comparison with that of the current design without any constraint violations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.13-18
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• 2004

This paper describes an efficient and robust optimization method for helicopter rotor airfoil design in forward flight. Navier-Stokes analysis was employed to compute the dynamic response of an airfoil, which simulates the unsteady rotor flow-field in forward flight. The optimization system consists of two categories; Response Surface Method to construct the response surface model based on D-optimal 3-level factorial design, and Genetic Algorithm to obtain the optimum solution of a defined objective function including penalty terms of constraints. The influence of design variables and their interactions on the aerodynamic performance was examined through the optimization process.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.566-576
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• 1995

A Computational code has been developed in order to design axial fans by the numerical optimization techniques incorporated with flow analysis code solving three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation. The steepest descent method and the conjugate gradient method are used to look for the search direction in the design space, and the golden section method is used for one-dimensional search. To solve the constrained optimization problem, sequential unconstrained minimization technique, SUMT, is used with imposed quadratic extended interior penalty functions. In the optimization of two-dimensional cascade design, the ratio of drag coefficient to lift coefficient is minimized by the design variables such as maximum thickness, maximum ordinate of camber and chord wise position of maximum ordinate. In the application of this numerical optimization technique to the design of an axial fan, the efficiency is maximized by the design variables related to the sweep angle distributed by quadratic function along the hub to tip of fan.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2006

This study analyzes the effects of the curvature friction coefficient, the wobble friction coefficient, and the increased strength of concrete, reinforced tendon on optimum de signs by using the optimum-design program, to minimize the cost of a PSC box girder bridge using the full staging method. The objective of this study is to find a proper tendon for the friction coefficient, and thereafter, to indicate the direction of the study development about tendons and to indicate the direction of a study on the increased strength of used materials. This program used the SUMT procedure and Kavlie's extended-penalty function to allow infeasible design points in the process. Powel's direct method was used in searching design points, and the gradient approximate method was used to reduce the design hours.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2008

This paper deals with the nonlinear optimal control approach to helicopter maneuver problems using the indirect method. We apply a penalty function to the integral deviation from a prescribed trajectory to convert the system optimality to an unconstrained optimal control problem. The resultant two-point boundary value problem has been solved by using a multiple-shooting method. This paper focuses on the model selection strategies to resolve the problem of numerical instability and high wait time when a high fidelity model with rotor dynamics is applied. Four different types of helicopter models are identified, two of which are linear models with or without rotor models, as well as two models which include the nonlinear mathematical model for rotor in its formulation. The relative computation time and the number of function calls for each model are compared in order to provide a guideline for the selection of helicopter model.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 1994

In this study, an algorithm which can be applied to the optimum design of simple steel plate girders was developed, and efficient optimization strategies for the solution of algorithm were found out. The optimum design algorithm consists of 3-levels of optimization. In the first and second levels of optimization, the absolute maximum bending moment and shearing force are extracted and in the third level of optimization, the optimum cross section of steel plate girder is determined. For the optimum design of cross section, the objective function is formulated as the total area of cross section and constraints are derived in consideration of the various stresses and the minimum dimension of flange and web based on the part of steel bridge in the Korea standard code of road bridge. Sequential unconstrained minimization technique using the exterior penalty function method(SUMT-EP), sequential linear programming(SLP) and sequential quadratic programming (SQP) are proved to be efficient and robust strategies for the optimum design of simple plate girder cross section. From the reliable point of view, SLP is the most efficient and robust strategy and SQP is the most efficient one from the viewpoint of converguency and computing time.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.28-35
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• 2011

In this paper, the wave-induced motion characteristics of a floating pendulor are investigated numerically. A floating pendulor is a movable-body-type wave energy converter. This device consists of three main parts (floater, pendulum, and damping plates). In order to obtain the hydrodynamic coefficients and wave exciting forces acting on floating bodies, a higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM) using a wave Green function is applied to the present problems. The hinged motion of a pendulum is simulated by applying the penalty method. In order to obtain a more realistic motion response for a pendulor, numerical body damping is included. First, the wave force and motion characteristics of just a floater are observed with respect to different shape parameters. Then, a coupled analysis of a floater, pendulum, and damping plates is carried out. The relative pitch velocity and wave forces acting on the floating pendulor are compared with those of a fixed pendulor.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.454-467
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• 2013

A practical Ship Inner Shell Optimization Method (SISOM), the purpose of which is to improve the safety of the seagoing transport ship by decreasing the maximum Still Water Bending Moment (SWBM) of the hull girder under all typical loading conditions, is presented in this paper. The objective of SISOM is to make the maximum SWBM minimum, and the section areas of the inner shell are taken as optimization variables. The main requirements of the ship performances, such as cargo hold capacity, propeller and rudder immersion, bridge visibility, damage stability and prevention of pollution etc., are taken as constraints. The penalty function method is used in SISOM to change the above nonlinear constraint problem into an unconstrained one, which is then solved by applying the steepest descent method. After optimization, the optimal section area distribution of the inner shell is obtained, and the shape of inner shell is adjusted according to the optimal section area. SISOM is applied to a product oil tanker and a bulk carrier, and the maximum SWBM of the two ships is significantly decreased by changing the shape of inner shell plate slightly. The two examples prove that SISOM is highly efficient and valuable to engineering practice.