Optimal design and control : proceedings of the Workshop on Optimal Design and Control, Blacksburg, Virginia, April 8-9, 1994

This volume is a collection of papers written by engineers and mathematicians actively involved in innovative research in control and optimization, with emphasis placed on problems governed by partial differential equations. The papers arose from a workshop on control and optimization sponsored by SIAM. The volume presents research conducted at laboratory, industrial and academic institutions so that analyses, algorithms, implementations and applications are all well-presented in the papers. An overriding impression that ccan be gleaned from this volume is the complexity of problems addressed by not only those authors engaged in applications, but also by those engaged in algorithmic development and even mathematical analyses. Thus, in many instances, systematic approaches using fully nonlinear constraint equations are routinely used to solve control and optimization problems, in some cases replacing ad hoc or empirically based procedures. Many algorithmic issues are addressed, including sensitivity analyses, novel optimization methods especially tailored for specific applications, multilevel methods and programming techniques. Although many different applications (such as metal forging, heat transfer, contact problems, structures and acoustics) are considered in the volume, flow control plays a central role. Another recurring theme is shape control - that is, the use of shape of the boundary to effect control or to achieve optimal configuration. The book is intended for researchers and graduate students working in structural, fluid, thermal and electromagnetic design and control, or in the design and implementation of optimization algorithms.