Optimization Methods in Engineering Design MET- 327

Prepared By:
Dr. Gulab Pamnani
Deptt. of Mechancial Engineering
MNIT Jaipur
Syllabus
 Introduction: Introduction to optimization, General Characteristics
of mechanical elements, adequate and optimum design, principles of
optimization, formulation of objective function, design constraints -
Classification of optimization problems.

 Optimization techniques Single variable and multivariable

optimization, Techniques of unconstrained minimization - Golden
Section -Random , pattern and gradient search methods -
Interpolation methods; Optimization with equality and inequality
constraints - Direct methods - Indirect methods using penalty
functions Lagrange multipliers; Geometric programming and
stochastic programming; Multi objective optimization, Genetic
algorithms and Simulated Annealing techniques.

 Engineering applications Structural applications - Design of simple

truss members. Design application - design of simple axial,
transverse loaded members for minimum cost , maximum weight, -
Design of shafts and torsionally loaded members -Design of springs,
Books

1.Jasbir. Arora , Introduction to optimum Design,

Elsevier

2. Singeresu S. Rao, "Engineering Optimization -

Theory and Practice" New Age Intl. Ltd., Publishers,

3. Kalyanamoy Deb, "Optimization for Engineering

design algorithms and Examples", PHI India,
Introduction to Optimization
 Optimization : The act of obtaining the best result
under the given circumstances.
 Design, construction and maintenance of engineering
systems involve decision making both at the
managerial and the technological level
 Goals of such decisions :

–to minimize the effort required or

–to maximize the desired benefit
 optimization can be defined as the process of finding
the conditions that give the maximum or minimum
value of a function
Optimization Techniques
 There is no single method available for solving all optimization
problems efficiently.
 Hence a number of optimization methods have been developed for
solving different types of optimization problems.
 Mathematical programming techniques are useful in finding the
minimum of a function of several variables under a prescribed
set of constraints.
 Stochastic process techniques can be used to analyze problems
described by a set of random variables having known probability
distributions.
 Statistical methods enable one to analyze the experimental data
and build empirical models to obtain the most accurate
representation of the physical situation.
◦ The modern optimization methods, also called nontraditional
optimization methods, have emerged as powerful and popular
methods for solving complex engineering optimization problems
in recent years. These methods include genetic algorithms,
simulated annealing, particle swarm optimization, ant colony
Engineering applications of optimization.

1. Design of aircraft and aerospace structures for minimum weight

2. Finding the optimal trajectories of space vehicles
3. Design of civil engineering structures such as frames, foundations,
bridges, towers, chimneys, and dams for minimum cost
4. Minimum-weight design of structures for earthquake, wind, and other
types of random loading
5. Design of water resources systems for maximum benefit
6. Optimal plastic design of structures
7. Optimum design of linkages, cams, gears, machine tools, and other
mechanical Components
8. Selection of machining conditions in metal-cutting processes for
minimum production cost
9. Design of material handling equipment, such as conveyors, trucks,
and cranes, for minimum cost
10. Design of pumps, turbines, and heat transfer equipment for
maximum efficiency
11. Optimum design of electrical machinery such as motors,
generators, and transformers
12. Optimum design of electrical networks
13. Shortest route taken by a salesperson visiting various cities
during one tour
14. Optimal production planning, controlling, and scheduling
15. Analysis of statistical data and building empirical models from
experimental results to obtain the most accurate representation of the
physical phenomenon
16. Optimum design of chemical processing equipment and plants
17. Design of optimum pipeline networks for process industries
18. Selection of a site for an industry
19. Planning of maintenance and replacement of equipment to
reduce operating costs
20. Inventory control
21. Allocation of resources or services among several activities to
maximize the benefit
22. Controlling the waiting and idle times and queueing in
production lines to reduce the costs
23. Planning the best strategy to obtain maximum profit in the
presence of a competitor
24. Optimum design of control systems
Convex and Concave Function
 x* for f(x) = x* for cf(x)=
x* for min f(x) = x* max
x* for c+f(x)
(–f(x))
Stationary point
For a continuous and differentiable
function f(x), a stationary point x* is a
point at which the slope of the function is
zero, i.e. f ʹ(x) = 0 at x = x*,
 What Is Design Optimization?
Selecting the “best” design within the available
means
1. What is our criterion for “best” design?
Objective function

2. What are the available means?

Constraints (design requirements)

3. How do we describe different designs?

Design Variables
Optimization Statement
Objective Function
Minimize f(x )
Constraints (design requirements)
Subject to g(x) ≤0
h(x) =0
Design Variables
x
 OPTIMIZATION

Design Space: The space of working (Hill in this case)

Objective: Find the Highest Point.
Design Variables: Longitude and latitude.
Constraints: Stay inside the fences.
 LOCAL AND GLOBAL OPTIMA
LOCAL
LOCAL maxima
maxima
OPTIMA
OPTIMA

Local
Local Local
Local
maxima
maxima minima
minima

minim
minim
aa
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
MINIMA
MINIMA
 Mathematically, if and at a point we say that either the optimum
(minimum or maximum) or inflection point exists at that point
 Inflection/Saddle point is a point that is neither a maximum nor a
minimum
For further investigation of the nature of the point, let n be the first non-zero
higher order derivative

 Two Cases:
i. If n is odd, x* is an inflection point,
ii. If n is found to be an even number

 If the value of derivative is seen to be positive

→ x* is a local minimum point,
 If the value of the derivative is found to be negative
→ x* is a local maximum point.
Example: Cantilever Beam
Example: Cantilever Beam
 Example: Fencing of field
 A farmer has 2400 m of fencing and wants to fence off a
rectangular field that borders a straight river. He needs no
fence along the river. What are the dimensions of the field
that has the largest area?
 Example: Cylindrical Can
 A manufacturer needs to make a cylindrical can that will hold
1.5 liters of liquid . Determine the dimensions of the can that
will minimize the amount of material used in its construction.
Conventional Design Method Vs
Optimum Design Method
 THE PROBLEM FORMULATION
PROCESS
For most design optimization problems, the following five-step formulation
procedure is implemented
 Step 1: Project/problem description
 Step 2: Data and information collection
 Step 3: Definition of design variables
 Step 4: Optimization criterion
 Step 5: Formulation of constraints
 Example Saw mill operation
 STEP 1: PROJECT/PROBLEM DESCRIPTION. A company owns two
sawmills and two forests. Table shows the capacity of each of the mills
(logs/day) and the distances between the forests and the mills (km). Each
forest can yield up to 200 logs/day for the duration of the project, and
the cost to transport the logs is estimated at $10/km/log. At least 300
logs are needed daily. The goal is to minimize the total daily cost of
transporting the logs.

 STEP 2: DATA AND INFORMATION COLLECTION: Data are given

in Table and in the problem statement.
STEP 3: DEFINITION OF DESIGN VARIABLES The design problem is
to determine how many logs to ship from Forest i to Mill j, as shown in
Figure Therefore, the design variables are identified and defined as follows:
 X1=number of logs shipped from Forest 1 to Mill A
 X2=number of logs shipped from Forest 2 to Mill A
 X3=number of logs shipped from Forest 1 to Mill B
 X4=number of logs shipped from Forest 2 to Mill B

STEP 4: OPTIMIZATION CRITERION The design objective is to

minimize the daily cost of transporting the logs to the mills. The cost of
transportation, which depends on the distance between the forests and the
mills, is Cost=24x10xX+ 20.5x10xX2 +17.2x10xX3 +18x10xX4
STEP 5: FORMULATION OF CONSTRAINTS The constraints for the
problem are based on mill capacity and forest yield:
 X1 +X2 ≤240 Mill A capacity
 X3 + X4 ≤ 300 Mill B capacity
 X1 + X3 ≤ 200 Forest 1 yield
 X2 + X4 ≤ 200 Forest 2 yield
The constraint on the number of logs needed for each day is expressed as
 x1 +x2 +x3 +x4 =300 demand for logs
 For a realistic problem formulation, all design variables must be non-
negative; that is,
 Xi ≥0; i=1 to 4
 Classification of Optimization
Problems
1. Depending on the nature of equations involved
→Linear or Non-linear optimization problems
 Linear optimization

 Non-linear optimization: Either the objective function or any of the

functional constraints is non-linear
 Classification of Optimization
Problems (contd)
2.Based on the existence of any functional constraint
 Un-constrained optimization problem: No functional constraint
 Constrained optimization problem: At least one functional constraint is
present

3.Depending on the nature of the design variables

 Integer Programming Problem: All design variable stake integer

values
 Real-valued Programming Problem: All design variables take real
values
 Mixed-integer Programming Problem: Some of the variables are
integers and the remaining variables take real values
 Classification of Optimization
Problems (contd)
4 .Static vs Dynamic Optimization Problems
 Static optimization problem: a, b do not depend on L
P
b

 Dynamic optimization problem : a, b are dependent on L

 Optimization Methods
Conventional Optimization Method

Linear Programming Non-Linear Programming

Methods Methods
• Graphical Methods
• Simplex Methods

Single Variable Multi- Variable

Problems Problems
 Single Variable Problems

Analytical Numerical
Methods Methods

Elimination Methods Interpolation

• Exhaustive search Methods
• Dichotomous
• search
Requiring no Requiring
• Fibonacci method
derivatives derivatives
• Golden section
(quadratic) Cubic
• method
Direct root
• Newton
• Quasi-Newton
• Secant
 Multi Variable Problems

Direct Search Gradient Based Methods

Methods • Steepest Descent Method
• Random Search
Method
• Pattern Search
Method