Multi-level simulation and numerical optimization of complex engineering designs

Multilevel representations have been studied extensively by artiŽ cial intelligence researchers. We present a general method that utilizes the multilevel paradigm to attack the problem of performing multidiscipline engineering design optimization in the presence of many local optima. The method uses a multidisciplinary simulator at multiple levels of abstraction, paired with a multilevel search space. We tested the method in the domain of conceptual design of supersonic transport aircraft, focusing on the airframe and the exhaust nozzle, and using sequential quadratic programming as the optimizer at each level. We found that using multilevel simulation and optimization can decrease the cost of design space search by an order of magnitude.

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