Optimal Design

Week 1

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Syllabus

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 Homework Grading Policies
• Homework • Homework problems will be
– Due at the beginning of class graded on a 10-point scale
– If you will not be in class, – 10 points – correct
email or deliver your – 8 points – correct approach,
homework to me before class minor error
– 50% penalty for late – 5 points – partially correct
homework up to one week – 3 points – incorrect approach
late
– 0 for homework more than – 0 points – problem not
one week late attempted
• If you have any questions • Lowest homework grade
regarding grading, you must will be dropped
bring them to my attention
within one week of
receiving the graded paper
 Class Today
• Course Information
• Introduction to Design Optimization
• Math Review
• Problem Formulation

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 Typical process of designing a
complex system:

1. Preliminary analysis
2. Selection of one type
3. Detailed design
4. Fabrication
…
5. Recover investment
6. Improve design

But is it the best design?

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 Introduction to Design Optimization
• System design can be formulated as problems
of optimization
– One performance measure optimized while all
other requirements are satisfied
• Course emphasis on design process, rather
than optimization theory
• Applications to many fields
– Emphasis on principles and techniques, not fields
of application in examples

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 System Evolution Model
Feedback
loops

Figure 1.1 System evolution model.

May not be
Several
Simplified necessary
concepts
models

Optimization concepts and methods can be used at every

stage in the process
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Introduction to Optimum Design 3e. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Engineering Analysis vs. Engineering Design

Analysis Design
• Determine the behavior of • Calculate system
an existing or trial system specifications to meet
being designed for a given performance requirements
task • Iterative process: estimate
• Calculate system response design and analyze
to specified inputs performance repeatedly. If
it does, we have an acceptable
• The sizes of various parts (feasible) design, although we may still
and their configurations want to change it to improve its
performance. If the trial design does
are given for the analysis not work, we need to change it to
problem; that is, known come up with an acceptable system. In
both cases, we must be able to analyze
system design designs to make further decisions
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Design Optimization:
Process of minimizing (or maximizing) an objective function (or
cost function) while satisfying constraint functions
Identify Design Variables

Formulate Cost Function

and Constraints

Assume Initial Design

Optimization is the act of Analyze

obtaining the best result under
given circumstances.
no
Convergent? Revise Design

yes

Stop 7
Optimum Design vs. Optimum Control

Optimum Design Optimum Control

• Design system to optimize • Find feedback controllers
an objective function for a system to produce the
• System remains fixed for desired output
entire life • Active elements, output
fluctuations, sensors
• Control problems are
dynamic

Optimum control problems can sometimes be transformed into

optimum design problems and analyzed using the same methods
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 Problem Formulation
Goal: Formulate the optimum design problem into a
well-defined mathematical system of equations and
inequalities
5 Steps
1. Problem description
2. Data collection
3. Definition of design variables
4. Definition of objective function (cost function,
optimization criterion)
5. Formulation of constraints

The optimum solution is only as good as the problem

formulation 12
 Problem Formulation Example 1:
Design of a Can
Design a can as shown to hold at least 400 ml
of liquid (1 ml = 1 cm3).
The cans will be produced in the billions, so it
is desirable to minimize their manufacturing
costs. Since cost can be directly related to the
surface area of the sheet metal used, it is
reasonable to minimize the amount of sheet
metal required.
Fabrication, handling, aesthetics, and shipping
considerations impose the following
restrictions on the size of the can: The
diameter should be no more than 8 cm and no Figure 2.3 Can.

less than 3.5 cm, whereas the height should

be no more than 18 cm and no less than 8 cm.

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Introduction to Optimum Design 3e. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Problem Formulation Example 2:
Sawmill Operation
A company owns two sawmills and two forests. The table
shows the capacity of each of the mills (logs/day) and the
distances between the forests and the mills (km). Each
forest can yield up to 200 logs/day for the duration of the
project, and the cost to transport the logs is estimated at
$10/km/log. At least 300 logs are needed daily. The goal is
to minimize the daily cost of transporting the logs.
Mill Distance (km) Mill Capacity
Forest 1 Forest 2 (logs/day)

A 24.0 20.5 240

B 17.2 18.0 300

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Introduction to Optimum Design 3e. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Problem Formulation Example 3: Design of a Two-Bar Bracket

The objective of this project is to design a two-bar bracket (as shown) to

support a load W without structural failure. The load is applied at angle ,
which is between 0° and 90°, h is the height, and s is the bracket’s base width.
The bracket will be produced in large quantities. It has also been determined
that its total cost (material, fabrication, maintenance, and so on) is directly
related to the size of the two bars. Thus, the design objective is to minimize
the total mass of the bracket while satisfying performance, fabrication, and
space limitations.

Figure 2.5 Two-bar bracket: (a) structure and (b) free-body diagram for node 1.
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Introduction to Optimum Design 3e. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Problem Formulation Example 3: Design of a Two-Bar Bracket

Figure 2.6 Bar cross-sectional

shapes: (a) circular tube; (b) solid
circular; (c) rectangular tube; (d)
solid rectangular;
(e) I-section; (f) channel section.

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Introduction to Optimum Design 3e. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.