Mechanical Design Optimization Using Advanced Optimization Techniques

Mechanical design includes an optimization process in which designers always consider objectives such as strength, deflection, weight, wear, corrosion, etc. depending on the requirements. However, design optimization for a complete mechanical assembly leads to a complicated objective function with a large number of design variables. It is a good practice to apply optimization techniques for individual components or intermediate assemblies than a complete assembly. Analytical or numerical methods for calculating the extreme values of a function may perform well in many practical cases, but may fail in more complex design situations. In real design problems, the number of design parameters can be very large and their influence on the value to be optimized (the goal function) can be very complicated, having nonlinear character. In these complex cases, advanced optimization algorithms offer solutions to the problems, because they find a solution near to the global optimum within reasonable time and computational costs.

Mechanical Design Optimization Using Advanced Optimization Techniques presents a comprehensive review on latest research and development trends for design optimization of mechanical elements and devices. Using examples of various mechanical elements and devices, the possibilities for design optimization with advanced optimization techniques are demonstrated. Basic and advanced concepts of traditional and advanced optimization techniques are presented, along with real case studies, results of applications of the proposed techniques, and the best optimization strategies to achieve best performance are highlighted. Furthermore, a novel advanced optimization method named teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) is presented in this book and this method shows better performance with less computational effort for the large scale problems.

Mechanical Design Optimization Using Advanced Optimization Techniques is intended for designers, practitioners, managers, institutes involved in design related projects, applied research workers, academics, and graduate students in mechanical and industrial engineering and will be useful to the industrial product designers for realizing a product as it presents new models and optimization techniques to make tasks easier, logical, efficient and effective.

Dr. R. Venkata Rao is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, S.V. National Institute of Technology, Surat, India. He has more than 20 years of teaching and research experience. He was deputed twice on deputation to the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand as a visiting Professor. He gained his B.Tech in 1988, M.Tech in 1991, and Ph.D. in 2002. Dr. Rao's research interests include: CAD/CAM, CIMS, advanced optimization methods, and fuzzy multiple attribute decision making methods. He has published more than 200 research papers in national and international journals and conference proceedings and received national and international awards for best research work. He has been a reviewer to many national and international journals and on the editorial boards of few International journals. He had already authored two books entitled “Decision Making in the Manufacturing Environment Using Graph Theory and Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making Methods” and “Advanced Modeling and Optimization of Manufacturing Processes: International Research and Development” and these books were published by Springer Verlag, UK in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Mr. Vimal J. Savsani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of B. H. Gardi College of Engineering and Technology, Rajkot, India. He has about 10 years of teaching and research experience. Mr. Savsani’s research interests include: CAD/CAM and advanced optimization methods. He has published about 25 research papers in national and international journals and conference proceedings.