Chapter 2

Optimum Design Problem Formulation

After completion of this chapter:

• Translate a descriptive statement of the design
problem into a mathematical statement for optimization
using a five-step process
• Identify and define the problem’s of design variables
• Identify a function for the problem that needs to be
optimized
• Identify and define the problem’s constraints

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 Introduction
• Proper definition and formulation of a problem takes
roughly 50 % of the total effort needed to solve it.
• Many Possibilities and factors must be considered
during problem formulation phase.
• To complete the design of an Engineering system,
Designers from different fields of engineering must
usually cooperate.
• Eg. Design of high-rise building (architectural,
Mechanical, Structural, Electrical, Environmental…)
Design of Passenger car (automotive,
mechanical, …)
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Emirates Hotel tower
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 The Burning Flames
Of Burj Kalifa
Dubai Tower

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 Problem formulation Process

 The formulation of an optimum design problem

involves translating a descriptive statement of the
problem into a well defined mathematical statement.
 Five steps of problem formulation process are:
Step 1: Project/problem statement.
Step 2: Data and information collection.
Step 3: Identification/definition of design variables.
Step 4: Identification of a criterion to be optimized.
Step 5: Identification of constraints.

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Step 1: Project/Problem Statement
• Are the project goals clear?
 The statement describes the overall objectives of the
project and the requirements to be met.
 Developing a descriptive statement for the
project/problem, which is usually done by the project’s
owner/sponsor.
Step 2: Data and Information Collection
• Is all the information available to solve the problem?
 we need to gather material properties,
 performance requirements,
 resource limits,
 cost of raw materials, and other relevant information.
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 most problems require the capability to analyze trial
designs. Therefore, analysis procedures and analysis tools
must be identified at this stage

Step 3: Identification/Definition of Design Variables

• What are these variables?
• How do I identify them?
• Identify a set of variables that describe the system,
called design variables.
• Design variables should be independent of each other
as far as possible. If they are dependent, then their
values cannot be specified independently.
• The number of independent design variables specifies
the design degrees of freedom for the problem.
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• different sets of variables can be identified to
describe the same system. The problem
formulation will depend on the selected set.
Once the design variables are given numerical
values, we have a design of the system.
• If proper design variables are not selected for
a problem, the formulation will be either
incorrect or not possible at all.
• Design variables should be independent of each other as far
as possible. If they are not, then there must be some equality
constraints between them. Conversely, if there are equality
constraints in the problem, then the design variables are
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• A minimum number of design variables required
to formulate a design optimization problem
properly exists.
• As many independent parameters as possible
should be designated as design variables at the
problem formulation phase. Later on, some of
the variables can be assigned fixed values.
• A numerical value should be given to each
variable. Once design variables have been
defined to determine if a trial design of the
system is specified.

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• Step 4: Identification of a Criterion to Be
Optimized
• How do I know that my design is the best?
• To compare different designs, we must have a
criterion.
• The criterion must be a scalar function, a
function of the design variable vector x. Such a
criterion is usually called an objective function
for the optimum design problem, which needs
to be maximized or minimized depending on
problem requirements.
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• A valid objective function must be influenced
directly or indirectly by the variables of the
design problem; otherwise, it is not a
meaningful objective function
• Some examples of objective functions include:
– cost (to be minimized),
– profit (to be maximized),
– weight (to be minimized),
– energy expenditure (to be minimized),
– ride quality of a vehicle (to be maximized), and so
on.

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• we always want to minimize the cost of
manufacturing goods or maximize return on
an investment
• In some situations two or more objective
functions may be identified
• example,
1. we may want to minimize the weight of a
structure and at the same time minimize the
deflection or stress at a certain point. These
are called multi-objective design optimization
problems.
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2. consider the optimization of a passenger car.
– What are the design variables for the car?
– What is the objective function?, and
– what is its functional form in terms of design
variables? ,
• such problems are divided into several smaller
sub problems and each one is formulated as
an optimum design problem.
such sub-problems: optimization of the trunk lid,
doors, side panels, roof, seats, suspension system,
transmission system, chassis, hood, power plant,
bumpers, and so on.
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Step 5: Identification of Constraints
• What restrictions do I have on my design?
• All restrictions placed on a design are
collectively called constraints.
 Most realistic systems must be designed and
fabricated within given resources and performance
requirements.


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By Considering resources and performance
requirements,

Example: Design of machine structure

structural members should not fail under
normal operating loads. Vibration frequencies of
a structure must be different from the operating
frequency of the machine it supports;
otherwise, resonance can occur causing
catastrophic failure.

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• All these and other constraints must depend
on the design variables,
 Some concepts and terms related to constraints:
1. Linear and Nonlinear Constraints
• Many constraint functions have only first-order terms
in design variables. These are called linear
constraints
• More general problems have nonlinear cost and/or
constraint functions. These are called nonlinear
constraints

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2. Feasible Design
• A design meeting all requirements is called a
feasible design (acceptable or workable).
• An infeasible design (unacceptable) does not
meet one or more of the requirements.
3. Equality and Inequality Constraints

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Example
Aspirin pill revisited:
• Maximize dissolving time
• minimize surface area

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 Design of a Can
Step 1: Project/Problem Statement
• The purpose of this project is to design a can to hold at
least 400 ml of liquid, as well as to meet other design
requirements (1 ml = 1cm3). The cans will be produced
in the billions so it is desirable to minimize
manufacturing costs. Since cost can be directly related
to the surface area of the sheet metal, it is reasonable
to minimize the amount of sheet metal required to
fabricate the can. Fabrication, handling, aesthetics, and
shipping considerations impose the following
restrictions on the size of the can:
• the diameter should be no more than 8 cm and no less
than 3.5 cm, whereas the height should be no more
than 18 cm and no less than 8 cm.
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Step 2: Data and Information Collection
- Given in the project statement.
Step 3: Identification/Definition of Design Variables
- The two design variables are defined

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Step 4: Identification of a Criterion to Be Optimized
• The design objective is to minimize the total
surface area S of the sheet metal for the three
parts of the cylindrical can: the surface area
of the cylinder (circumference * height) and
the surface area of the two ends.
• Therefore, the optimization criterion or cost
function (the total area of sheet metal), is
written as

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Step 5: Identification of Constraints
• The first constraint is that the can must hold at
least 400cm3 of fluid, which is written as

The other constraints on the size of the can are:

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 Reading assignment
• Insulated Spherical Tank Design
• Saw Mill Operation
• Design of a Cabinet
• Minimum Cost Cylindrical Tank Design
• Minimum Weight Design of a Symmetric Three-Bar
Truss
Problems:
1.Design of a Two-Bar Bracket
2. Minimum Weight Tubular Column Design
3. Design of Coil Springs
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Exercise:
1. Design a beer mug, shown in Fig. below, to hold as much
beer as possible. The height and radius of the mug should
be not more than 20 cm. The mug must be at least 5 cm in
radius. The surface area of the sides must not be greater
than 900cm2 (ignore the area of the bottom of the mug and
ignore the mug handle—see figure).
Formulate the optimum design problem.

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