SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AEROSPACE REPORTS

A Biweekly Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
VOLUME 43, ISSUE 16 - AUGUST 12, 2005

18 SPACECRAFT DESIGN, TESTING AND PERFORMANCE
Includes satellites; space platforms; space stations; spacecraft systems and components such as thermal and environmental controls; and spacecraft control and stability characteristics.

For life support systems see 54 Man/System Technology and Life Support.

For related information see also 05 Aircraft Design, Testing and Performance; 39 Structural Mechanics; and 16 Space Transportation and Safety.

20050196661 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA

Integrated System-Level Optimization for Concurrent Engineering With Parametric Subsystem Modeling

Schuman, Todd; DeWeck, Oliver L.; Sobieski, Jaroslaw; [2005]; 20 pp.; In English; 46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, 18-21 Apr. 2005, Austin, TX, USA; Original contains color and black and white illustrations; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy

The introduction of concurrent design practices to the aerospace industry has greatly increased the productivity of engineers and teams during design sessions as demonstrated by JPL’s Team X. Simultaneously, advances in computing power have given rise to a host of potent numerical optimization methods capable of solving complex multidisciplinary optimization problems containing hundreds of variables, constraints, and governing equations. Unfortunately, such methods are tedious to set up and require significant amounts of time and processor power to execute, thus making them unsuitable for rapid concurrent engineering use.

This paper proposes a framework for Integration of System-Level Optimization with Concurrent Engineering (ISLOCE).

It uses parametric neural-network approximations of the subsystem models. These approximations are then linked to a system-level optimizer that is capable of reaching a solution quickly due to the reduced complexity of the approximations. The integration structure is described in detail and applied to the multiobjective design of a simplified Space Shuttle external fuel tank model.

Further, a comparison is made between the new framework and traditional concurrent engineering (without system optimization) through an experimental trial with two groups of engineers. Each method is evaluated in terms of optimizer accuracy, time to solution, and ease of use. The results suggest that system-level optimization, running as a background process during integrated concurrent engineering sessions, is potentially advantageous as long as it is judiciously implemented. Author

Concurrent Engineering; Systems Engineering; Multidisciplinary Design Optimization; Spacecraft Models; Parameterization

Source: NASA.