The major objective of Phase-II is to develop a set of software tools for implementation of the global/local design methodology demonstrated in Phase-I. The proposed software will provide design engineers with a web-based graphical user interface and a set of tools that will allow them to use their existing design codes to implement the global/local design methodology for a variety of design problems. During the first year, the methodology will be extended to include improved local design models relevant to AAAV design, and the software tools will be developed with the immediate goal of assisting GDAS engineers in reducing the AAAV structural weight. Information and experience gained during this AAAV design process will be used to refine and validate the software. A beta version of the software will be delivered to GDAS at the end of the first year of work. The second year of the proposed work will concentrate on refining the software tools generated in the first year and commercializing the software. During this time, ADOPTECH will provide technical support to the GDAS engineers using the beta software. In parallel with the software development effort in the first year, the university research team will pursue a research plan aimed at including reliability and load updating methodologies in the design process. If the Phase-II option is exercised, the university research team will demonstrate the reliability and load updating tools and methodologies using the AAAV structure. Knowledge and tools generated by the university team will be used after the completion of Phase-II to enhance the baseline software product.
Benefits: The software tools developed during the Phase-II effort will provide the immediate benefit of assisting GDAS engineers in reducing the weight of the AAAV vehicle. Although the initial focus of the Phase-II project will be the AAAV structure, the global/local design methodology presented is a general design procedure, and is not limited to any particular application. The original motivation for the development of the present global/local methodology arose out of industry's need for an affordable approach for applying optimization techniques to the design of complete structural systems. Presently, industry uses optimization techniques to design the overall structure, but local details are often neglected until late in the design process. This practice is often not satisfactory, as unexpected local failures require costly redesign efforts. The software proposed for Phase-II would give customers in the aerospace, automotive, and related industries a new and unique capability for designing complex structures in a computationally efficient manner while taking into account these important local details.
Keywords: Design Optimization Reliability Structural Optimization Global/Local Design Optimal Design
