Preliminary Optimal Geometric Modeling of Mechanical Components: A Multiobjective Approach

Abstract

In this paper a methodologyto improve the development of mechanical components during thefirst design phase is proposed. This phase is one of the mostimportant ones in order to build up a product meeting with consumers'approval. The approach is based on a preliminary geometric-structuralmodeling optimization of the component studied. This optimizationis of a multiobjective kind and it aims to obtain some meaningfulgoals to find feasible shapes of the component to design. Themaximization/minimization of the objective functions is performedby an evolutionary algorithm to accomplish a constrained optimizationusing discrete variables. The characteristics of the methodologyare pointed out in relation to the properties of the evolutionaryalgorithm implemented. The paper concludes with an applicationexample of the procedure. The case study is a car gearbox. Threeobjectives are simultaneously pursued: the lowest weight, thegreatest flexural and torsional stiffnesses.