Learning to set up numerical optimizations of engineering designs

Gradient-based numerical optimization of complex engineering designs offers the promise of rapidly producing better designs. However, such methods generally assume that the objective function and constraint functions are continuous, smooth, and defined everywhere. Unfortunately, realistic simulators tend to violate these assumptions, making optimization unreliable. Several decisions that need to be made in setting up an optimization, such as the choice of a starting prototype, and the choice of a formulation of the search space, can make a difference in how reliable the optimization is. Machine learning can help by making these choices based on the results of previous optimizations. We demonstrate this idea by using machine learning for four parts of the optimization setup problem: selecting a starting prototype from a database of prototypes, synthesizing a new starting prototype, predicting which design goals are achievable, and selecting a formulation of the search space. We use st...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 1998
• Where: AIEDAM
• Authors: Mark Schwabacher, Thomas Ellman, Haym Hirsh
• Keywords: AIEDAM 1998, Design, Gradient-based Numerical Optimization, Search Space