Optimality criteria: A basis for multidisciplinary design optimization

This paper presents a generalization of what is frequently referred to in the literature as the optimality criteria approach in structural optimization. This generalization includes a unified presentation of the optimality conditions, the Lagrangian multipliers, and the resizing and scaling algorithms in terms of the sensitivity derivatives of the constraint and objective functions. The by-product of this generalization is the derivation of a set of simple nondimensional parameters which provides significant insight into the behavior of the structure as well as the optimization algorithm. A number of important issues, such as, active and passive variables, constraints and three types of linking are discussed in the context of the present derivation of the optimality criteria approach. The formulation as presented in this paper brings multidisciplinary optimization within the purview of this extremely efficient optimality criteria approach.