An automatic multidisciplinary design optimization framework and its application to launch vehicle

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) is the specific technique to optimize engineering problem with complex disciplines. But it's hard to select the proper MDO architecture to settle these complex problem efficiently and automatically. This paper proposed an automatic multidisciplinary design optimization framework with brief definition and clear process. Disciplinary relation matrix (DRM) is proposed to describe the coupling relationship according to disciplinary input/output variables, and the MDO definition has been reformulate to adopt the new interfaces. Based on these, a universal MDO solving procedure is proposed to establish an automated and efficient way for MDO modeling and solving. This is implemented by an object-oriented framework in C++ environment, which is called as Automatic Fast Solving Environment for MDO (AFSEMDO). And a X37B-like launch vehicle MDO problem is modeled and solved in the proposed MDO framework. Six disciplines are considered, there are geometry, aerodynamic, structure, trajectory, Mass and Control. Result shows these MDO framework can evaluate MDO problem automatically and efficiently, and could provide a more simplified way to solve complex MDO problems.