Effective model calibration via sensible variable identification and adjustment with application to composite fuselage simulation

Abstract

Estimation of model parameters of computer simulators, also known as calibration, is an important topic in many engineering applications. In this paper we consider the calibration of computer model parameters with the help of engineering design knowledge. We introduce the concept of sensible (calibration) variables. Sensible variables are model parameters, which are sensitive in the engineering modeling, and whose optimal values differ from the engineering design values. We propose an effective calibration method to identify and to determine appropriate levels for the sensible variables with limited physical experimental data. The methodology is applied to a composite fuselage simulation problem.