Bilevel integrated system synthesis with response surfaces

Two variants of the BLISS method are proposed for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). These variants utilize experimental design methods and response surfaces to reduce the number of expensive system analysis require d for solution of the MDO problem. BLISS is an MDO method for decomposition -based optimization of engineering systems that involves system optimizatio n with a relatively small number of design variables and a number of subsys tem optimizations that could each have a large number of local variables. I n BLISS, the optimum sensitivity analysis data are used to relate the subsy stem optimization solutions with the system optimizations. Instead, with th e proposed variants, polynomial response surface approximations using eithe r the system analysis or the subsystem optimization results are used. Addit ionally, the response surface construction process is well suited for compu ting in a concurrent processing environment. The proposed variants are impl emented and evaluated on a conceptual-level aircraft and ship design proble m.