A two-step optimization approach for technology selection

Abstract

An efficient optimization approach for the technology selection problem is described. Technology selection is a crucial step in the aircraft design process, especially when the performance and econo-mic requirements are not fulfilled for any combination of the configuration design variables. In such a case, the designer must search efficiently within a set of technology options for the optimal combination that achieves the required improvements. When the set of available technologies is large, as is usually the case, a difficult combinatorial optimization problem ensues, resulting in significant time and computational expense. The objective of the new approach is to reduce the computational cost of technology selection by decomposing the process into two smaller sub-problems. The new approach attempts to exploit the structure of the technology compatibility matrix to improve the efficiency of the technology selection process. Results from an application problem are presented and valuable insights and observations are discussed.

Keywords:

• Technology selection
• Combinatorial optimization
• Genetic algorithms

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Grant N00014-02-0051, for funding this research. Ms Katherine Drew was the sponsor. The authors would also like to thank Dr Michelle Kirby, Dr Bryce Roth, Mr Mark Birney and Mr Tom Ender for their contributions to this work.