Interaction balance optimization in multidisciplinary design optimization problems

As a bi-level optimization method, collaborative optimization can solve multidisciplinary design optimization problems in practical engineering effectively. However, if there are high-dimensional couplings in a multidisciplinary design optimization problem, a large number of compatibility constraints will be required in collaborative optimization. In this situation, collaborative optimization will not be suitable to be utilized because of low computational efficiency or divergence issue. To solve this problem, an efficient interaction balance optimization method is proposed in this article. In interaction balance optimization method, the simple coordination strategy of interaction balance principle and the distributed optimization strategy of collaborative optimization can be integrated effectively. Lagrange multipliers are used instead of compatibility constraints to maintain the consistency between any two coupled disciplines. Two examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.