A feature-based design study on constrained optimization using the simulated annealing algorithm
Robert Bradlaw, J. Rao · 5th Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization · 1994
In this paper, we study a design problem in which the macro structural elements can be freely relocated around obstacles in a given design domain. The purpose is to examine this system as an illustrative example of a general featurebased design methodology where the design variables are both the location and the sizes of macro functional blocks. In this problem, the four frame elements of a structure are optimally located around an obstacle to minimize the compliance. The resulting mathematical program has a multiply connected feasible region, and has multiple local minima. A simulated annealing algorithm was used to obtain the different solutions to this problem. It was found that vertical frame members were usually able to jump over the obstacles in the optimization process, as desired. The results also indicate that the performace of the algorithm in this constrained problem depends critically on the step size adjustment parameters. 1. Introduction The objective of this study is t...