Optimisation of composite manufacturing processes with computer experiments and Kriging methods

Abstract

This paper deals with the use of Kriging models in multi-objective optimisation of composite manufacturing processes. A comparative analysis of different optimisation methods was conducted for a case study devoted to resin transfer moulding (RTM) processes. The computerised experiments of composite manufacturing were based on a numerical simulation model of the RTM process. A Latin Hypercube Design (LHD) of the computer experiments was adopted. The computational results from the designed experiments were analysed and a Kriging model was built from the data. Finally, a data envelopment analysis (DEA) was conducted, based on the data generated from the Kriging model to optimise the RTM process. The overall performance of this method was evaluated.