Design Automation for Multidisciplinary Optimization a High Level CAD Template Approach
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LINKÖPING STUDIES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. DISSERTATIONS, NO. 1479 Design Automation for Multidisciplinary Optimization A High Level CAD Template Approach Mehdi Tarkian Copyright ©Mehdi Tarkian, 2012 “Design Automation for Multidisciplinary Optimization – A High Level CAD Template Approach” Linköping Studies in Science and Technology. Dissertations, No. 1479 ISBN 978-91-7519-790-6 ISSN 0345-7524 Printed by: LiU-Tryck, Linköping Distributed by: Linköping University Division of Machine Design Department of Management and Engineering SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden Tel. +46 13 281000 http://www.liu.se Never send a human to do a machine's job Agent Smith in the film “The Matrix” ABSTRACT In the design of complex engineering products it is essential to handle cross-couplings and synergies between subsystems. An emerging technique, which has the potential to considerably improve the design process, is multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). MDO requires a concurrent and parametric design framework. Powerful tools in the quest for such frameworks are design automation (DA) and knowledge based engineering (KBE). The knowledge required is captured and stored as rules and facts to finally be triggered upon request. A crucial challenge is how and what type of knowledge should be stored in order to realize generic DA frameworks. In the endeavor to address the mentioned challenges, this thesis proposes High Level CAD templates (HLCts) for geometry manipulation and High Level Analysis templates (HLAts) for concept evaluations. The proposed methods facilitate modular concept generation and evaluation, where the modules are first assembled and then evaluated automatically. The basics can be compared to parametric LEGO® blocks containing a set of design and analysis parameters. These are produced and stored in databases, giving engineers or a computer agent the possibility to first select and place out the blocks and then modify the shape of the concept parametrically, to finally analyze it. The depicted methods are based on physic-based models, meaning less design space restrictions compared to empirical models. A consequence of physic-based models is more time-consuming evaluations, reducing the probability of effective implementation in an iterative intensive MDO. To reduce the evaluation time, metamodels are used for faster approximations. Their implementation, however, is not without complications. Acquiring accurate metamodels requires a non-negligible investment in terms of design space samplings. The challenge is to keep the required sampling level as low as possible. It will be further elaborated that many automated concurrent engineering platforms have failed because of incorrect balance between automation and manual operations. Hence, it is necessary to find an equilibrium that maximizes the efficiency of DA and MDO. To verify the validity of the presented methods, three application examples are presented and evaluated. These are derived from industry and serve as test cases for the proposed methods. SAMMANFATTNING Vid utvecklingen av komplexa och tätt integrerade maskintekniska produkter är det viktigt att hantera gränsöverskridande kopplingar och synergier mellan olika delsystem. En ny teknik, som har potential att drastiskt förbättra konstruktionsprocessen, är multidisciplinär design optimering (MDO). En MDO process kräver ett integrerat och parametrisk konstruktionsramverk. I detta syfte är design automation (DA) och knowledge based engineering (KBE) lovande tekniker för att stödja parametriska konstruktionsramverk. En avgörande utmaning ligger i hur och vilken typ av kunskap som bör förvaras för att förverkliga en generell DA ramverk. Därför föreslås high level CAD template (HLCT) för geometri manipulation och high level Analysis template (HLAt) för koncept utvärderingar. Detta gör att användaren kan bygga modeller i mindre moduler som sedan monteras och utvärderas automatiskt. Grunderna kan jämföras med parametriska LEGO ® block som innehåller en uppsättning av design och analys parametrar. Dessa produceras och lagras i databaser, vilket ger ingenjörer eller en datoragent möjligheten att först välja och placera ut blocken och sedan ändra formen på dem parametriskt, för att slutligen analysera produkten. Metoderna är baserade på fysikbaserade modeller, vilket innebär mindre begränsningar jämfört med empiriska modeller. Nackdelen med fysikbaserade modeller är tidskrävande utvärderingar, vilket gör genomförandet av dem i en iterativintensiv MDO opraktisk. För att minska utvärderingstiden införs metamodeller för snabbare approximationer. Att implementera metamodeller är dock inte utan komplikationer. Metamodeller kräver en icke försumbar investering i form av utvärderingar av fysikbaserade modeller för att nå en acceptabel approximation. Utmaningen är att hålla nivån på antalet iterationer så låg som möjligt. Det kommer att redogöras att många samtidiga DA plattformar har misslyckats på grund av felaktig uppskattning gällande balansen mellan manuella och automatiserade operationer. Det är ytterst nödvändigt att hitta rätt balans för att maximera effektiviteten av DA och MDO. För att verifiera giltigheten av de presenterade metoderna används tre applikationsexempel från industrin. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank all my colleagues at the Division of Machine Design. Working with you for the past 5 years has been a great experience. Special thanks to my supervisor Prof. Johan Ölvander for all the great support and feedback provided. Your commitment as a supervisor has always been immensely appreciated. My sincere gratitude goes to our former head of division Prof. Petter Krus for believing in our, at the time, unconventional ideas and giving me the opportunity to join the group. I want to thank my industry supervisor Dr. Xiaolong Feng for all supportive and inspiring discussions over the years. Furthermore, I would like to thank the people involved from ABB Corporate Research and ABB Robotics. Your expertise has been crucial for us to identify the challenges in industrial robot design. I also wish to express my gratitude to ABB for providing research funds for this work. Dr. Kristian Amadori, it has been a pleasure to discuss modeling methodologies and plan optimization strategies with you. I believe that our cooperation has been rewarding, both for our research and our student course. I would like to thank all students I have been in contact with during these years. Special thanks to all Product Modeling students, your interested attitude has been an inspiration and an important reason to further develop the course and our design methodologies. Torbjörn Andersson, thank you for a fascinating illustration for the cover of this thesis. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to family and friends, especially my beloved Hanna, for their uncompromising support. You have all, in your own way, inspired me to do better. Mehdi Tarkian Linköping, September 2012 APPENDED PAPERS The following papers are appended and will be referred to by their Roman numerals. The papers are printed in their originally published state, except for changes in formatting and correction of minor errata. [I] Tarkian, M, Ölvander, J, Feng X, Pettersson M, Design Automation of Modular Industrial Robots, Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and information in Engineering Conference, San Diego, USA, Sep 2009. [II] Tarkian, M, Ölvander, J, Feng, X, Pettersson, M, Product Platform Automation for Optimal Configuration of Industrial Robot Families, Proceedings of ICED11: International Conference on Engineering Design, Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug, 2011. [III] Amadori, K, Tarkian, M, Ölvander, J, Krus, P, Flexible and Robust CAD Models for Design Automation, Advanced Engineering Informatics. 2012;26(2):180-95 [IV] Tarkian, M, Persson, J, Ölvander, J, Feng, X, Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Modular Industrial Robots by Utilizing High Level CAD templates, Accepted for publication in Journal of Mechanical Design, 2012. [V] Tarkian, M, Vemula, B, Feng X, Ölvander, J, Metamodel Based Design Automation – Applied on Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Industrial Robots, Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and information in Engineering Conference, Washington, USA, Aug 2012. The following papers are not included in the thesis but constitute an important part of the background. [VI] Tarkian, M, Persson, J, Ölvander, J, Feng, X, Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Modular Industrial Robots, Proceedings of the ASME 2011 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and information in Engineering Conference, Washington, USA, Aug-Sep 2011. [VII] Ölvander J, Tarkian M, Feng X, Multi-objective Optimization of a Family of Industrial Robots, in Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing, Wang L., Ng A. H.C., Deb K. (editors), pp. 189-217, Springer 2011. [VIII] Nezhadali, V, Kayani O, Razzaq, H, Tarkian, M, Evaluation of an Automated Design and Optimization Framework for Modular Robots Using a Physical Prototype, Proceedings of ICED11: International Conference on Engineering Design, Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug 2011. [IX] Feng, X, Wäppling, D, Andersson, H, Ölvander, J, Tarkian, M, Multi-Objective Optimization in Industrial Robotic Cell Design, Proceedings of the ASME 2010 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and information in Engineering