Design Optimization

• Optimization is a component of design

process
• The design of systems can be formulated as
problems of optimization where a measure
of performance is to be optimized while
satisfying all the constraints.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 1

 Design Optimization

• Design variables – a set of parameters that describes

the system (dimensions, material, load, …)
• Design constraints – all systems are designed to
perform within a given set of constraints. The constraints
must be influenced by the design variables (max. or min.
values of design variables).
• Objective function – a criterion is needed to judge
whether or not a given design is better than another (cost,
profit, weight, deflection, stress, ….).

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 2

Optimum Design – Problem Formulation
The formulation of an optimization problem is
extremely important, care should always be
exercised in defining and developing expressions
for the constraints.
The optimum solution will only be as good as the
formulation.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 3

 Problem Formulation
Design Variables
An important first step in the proper formulation of the problem
is to identify design variables for the system.
1. All design variables should be independent of each
other as far as possible.
2. All options of identifying design variables should
be investigated.
3. There is a minimum number of design variables
required to formulate a design problem properly.
4. Designate as many independent parameters as
possible as at the beginning. Later, some of the
design variables can be eliminated by assigning
numerical values.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 4
 Problem Formulation
Objective Function
A criterion must be selected to compare various designs
1. It must be a scalar function whose numerical values
could be obtained once a design is specified.
2. It must be a function of design variables, f (x).
3. The objective function is minimized or maximized
(minimize cost, maximize profit, minimize weight,
maximize ride quality of a vehicle, minimize the cost
of manufacturing, ….)
4. Multi-objective functions; minimize the weight of a
structure and at the same time minimize the
deflection or stress at a certain point.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 5
 Problem Formulation
Design Constraints
Feasible Design
A design meeting all the requirements is called a feasible
(acceptable) design. An infeasible design does not meet one
or more requirements

Implicit & Explicit Constraints

All restrictions placed on a design are collectively called
constraints. Some constraints are explicit (obvious, provided)
such as min. and max. values of design variables, some are
implicit (derived, deduced) which are usually more complex
such as deflection of a structure.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 6
 Problem Formulation
Linear and Nonlinear Constraints
Constraint functions having only first-order terms in design
variables are called linear constraints. More general
problems have nonlinear constraint functions as well.

Equality and Inequality Constraints

Design problems may have equality as well as inequality
constraints. A feasible design must satisfy precisely all the
equality constraints.
A machine component must move precisely by a certain value
(equality). Stress must not exceed the allowable stress of the
material (inequality)
It is easier to find feasible designs for a
system having only inequality constraints.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 7
 Example – Design of a Beer Can
Design a beer can to hold at least the specified amount of beer
and meet other design requirement. The cans will be produced
in billions, so it is desirable to minimize the cost of
manufacturing. Since the cost can be related directly to the
surface area of the sheet metal used, it is reasonable to
minimize the sheet metal required to fabricate the can.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 8

 Example – Design of a Beer Can
Fabrication, handling, aesthetic, shipping considerations and
customer needs impose the following restrictions on the size
of the can:
1. The diameter of the can should be no more
than 8 cm. Also, it should not be less than 3.5
cm.
2. The height of the can should be no more than
18 cm and no less than 8 cm.
3. The can is required to hold at least 400 ml of
fluid.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 9

 Example – Design of a Beer Can
Design variables
D = diameter of the can (cm)
H = height of the can (cm)

Objective function
The design objective is to minimize the surface area

(Non-linear)

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 10

 Example – Design of a Beer Can
The constraints must be formulated in terms of design variables.
The first constraint is that the can must hold at least 400 ml of
fluid.
(Non-linear)

The other constraints on the size of the can are:

(linear)

The problem has two independent design variable and five

explicit constraints. The objective function and first constraint
are nonlinear in design variable whereas the remaining
constraints are linear.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 11
 Standard Design Optimization Model
The standard design optimization model is defined as
follows: Find an n-vector x = (x1, x2, …., xn) of design
variables to minimize an objective function

subject to the p equality constraints

and the m inequality constraints

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 12

 Observations on the Standard Model
• The functions f(x), hj(x), and gi(x) must depend on
some or all of the design variables.
• The number of independent equality constraints
must be less than or at most equal to the number of
design variables.
• There is no restriction on the number of inequality
constraints.
• Some design problems may not have any
constraints (unconstrained optimization problems).
• Linear programming is needed If all the functions
f(x), hj(x), and gi(x) are linear in design variables x,
otherwise use nonlinear programming.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 13

 Numerical Methods for Non-linear
Optimization
Graphical and analytical methods are inappropriate for many
complicated engineering design problems.

1. The number of design variables and constraints can be

large.
2. The functions for the design problem can be highly
nonlinear.
3. In many engineering applications, objective and/or
constraint functions can be implicit in terms of design
variables.

Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 14

 Structural Optimization
Structural optimization is an automated synthesis of a mechanical
component based on structural properties.
For this optimization, a geometric modeling tool to represent the
shape, a structural analysis tool to solve the problem, and an
optimization algorithms to search for the optimum design are needed.

Structural Optimization

Geometric Modeling Structural Analysis Optimization

Finite element Finite element Nonlinear programming

modeling analysis algorithm
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 15
 Structural Optimization Categories
• Size optimization
Deals with parameters that do not alter the location of nodal points in the
numerical problem, keeps a design’s shape and topology unchanged
while changing dimensions of the design.

• Shape optimization
Deals with parameters that describe the boundary position in the
numerical model. Design variables control the shape of the
design. The process requires re-meshing of the model and results in
freeform shapes

• Topology optimization
The goal of topology optimization is to determine where to place
or add material and where to remove material. The optimization
could determine where to place ribs to stiffen the structure.
Ken Youssefi Mechanical Engineering Dept. 16