The suitability of selected multidisciplinary design and optimization techniques to conceptual aerospace vehicle designFour methods for preliminary aerospace vehicle design are reviewed. The first three methods (classical optimization, system decomposition, and system sensitivity analysis (SSA)) employ numerical optimization techniques and numerical gradients to feed back changes in the design variables. The optimum solution is determined by stepping through a series of designs toward a final solution. Of these three, SSA is argued to be the most applicable to a large-scale highly coupled vehicle design where an accurate minimum of an objective function is required. With SSA, several tasks can be performed in parallel. The techniques of classical optimization and decomposition can be included in SSA, resulting in a very powerful design method. The Taguchi method is more of a 'smart' parametric design method that analyzes variable trends and interactions over designer specified ranges with a minimum of experimental analysis runs. Its advantages are its relative ease of use, ability to handle discrete variables, and ability to characterize the entire design space with a minimum of analysis runs.
Document ID
19930036382
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Olds, John R. (North Carolina State Univ. Raleigh, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: In: AIAA(USAF)NASA/OAI Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 4th, Cleveland, OH, Sept. 21-23, 1992, Technical Papers. Pt. 2 (A93-20301 06-66)
Publisher: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics