Computational Design Tool Development for Multilevel Optimization of Product-Material Systems Under Uncertainty

该奖项的研究目标是开发一种计算设计工具，用于不确定性下的分层产品材料系统的多级优化。通过对计算材料模型的系统分解，可以定制微观结构-性能关系，以满足竞争系统级设计目标，如性能，可靠性和鲁棒性。需要一个一致的自上而下的级联要求和自下而上的能力和不确定性的传播，跨越从纳米到微米，微米到中观，和中观到宏观的长度尺度。开发用于近似因果关系的高级元模型将提高设计工具的效率，同时解决与高度非线性和噪声响应相关的关键优化问题。网络基础设施将用于将组件集成到一个综合工具中，有效地形成多学科研究的虚拟组织。设计工具的有效性将通过调查一些基准问题进行评估。如果成功的话，这项研究的结果将通过扩展我们对材料微结构设计的知识来增强现代工程设计方法，作为产品设计过程的一个组成部分。这项研究将为探索和理解材料微观结构元素之间的相互作用及其对外部影响的敏感性（例如，静态或动态加载）。此外，它将导致复杂的网络基础设施和相关技术的发展，这将有助于设计具有不同材料类别的产品的能力，如先进的轻质合金，纳米纤维增强聚合物复合材料，金属基复合材料和粉末金属。研究生和本科生参与这项研究，并将相关主题整合到设计优化，航空航天结构设计和非弹性课程中，将扩大拟议研究的影响。代表不同人口统计学特征的初中和高中学生，包括代表性不足的群体，将被招募通过暑期实习机会参与研究。研究结果将通过在档案刊物上发表和在国家会议上介绍的方式传播。

The research objective of this award is to develop a computational design tool for multilevel optimization of hierarchical product-material systems under uncertainty. Through systematic decomposition of computational material models, microstructure-property relationships can be tailored to satisfy competing system-level design goals such as performance, reliability, and robustness. A consistent top-down cascading of requirements and bottom-up propagation of capabilities and uncertainties that span length scales ranging from nano-to-micro, micro-to-meso, and meso-to-macro is desired. Development of advanced metamodels for approximation of cause-effect relationships will enhance the efficiency of the design tool while addressing key optimization concerns related to highly nonlinear and noisy responses. Cyberinfrastructure will be used to integrate the components into a comprehensive tool, effectively forming a virtual organization for multidisciplinary research. The effectiveness of the design tool will be evaluated by investigating a number of benchmark problems.If successful, the results of this research will enhance modern engineering design methodology by expanding our knowledge of material microstructure design as an integral part of the product design process. This research will provide a platform for the exploration and understanding of interactions among the elements of material microstructure and their sensitivities to external influences (e.g., static or dynamic loading). Moreover, it will result in the development of a sophisticated cyberinfrastructure and associated technologies which will contribute toward the ability to design products with vastly different classes of materials such as advanced lightweight alloys, nanophased fiber-reinforced polymer composites, metal-matrix composites and powder metals. Involvement of graduate and undergraduate students in this research and the integration of related topics into courses in design optimization, aerospace structural design and inelasticity will broaden the impact of the proposed research. Middle and high school students representing different demographics including underrepresented groups will be recruited to participate in the research through summer internship opportunities. The results of the research will be disseminated through publication in archival journals and presentations at national conferences.