DISCRETE OPTIMAL-DESIGN FORMULATIONS WITH-APPLICATION TO GEAR TRAIN DESIGN

The use of discrete variables in optimal design models offers the oppo rtunity to deal rigorously with an expanded variety of design situatio ns, as opposed to using only continuous variables. However, complexity and solution difficulty increase dramatically and model formulation b ecomes very important. A particular problem arising from the design of a gear train employing four spur gear pairs is introduced and formula ted in several different ways. An interesting aspect of the problem is its exhibition of three different types of discreteness. The problem could serve as a test for a variety of optimization or artificial inte lligence techniques. The best known solution is included in this artic le, while its derivation is given in a sequel article.