8th ASCE Specialty Conference on Probabilistic Mechanics and Structural Reliability PMC2000-217DECISION BASED COLLABORATIVE OPTIMIZATION

In this research a Collaborative Optimization (CO) approach for multidisciplinary systems design is used to develop a decision based design framework for non-deterministic optimization. To date CO strategies have been developed for use in application to deterministic systems design problems. In this research the decision based design framework proposed by Hazelrigg (1996, 1998) is modified for use in a collaborative optimiza-tion framework. The Hazelrigg framework as originally proposed provides a single level optimization strat-egy that combines engineering decisions with business decisions in a single level optimization. By transforming the Hazelrigg framework for use in collaborative optimization one can decompose the business and engineering decision making processes. In the new multilevel framework of Decision Based Collabora-tive Optimization (DBCO) the business decisions are made at the system level. These business decisions result in a set of engineering performance targets that disciplinary engineering design teams seek to satisfy as part of subspace optimizations. The Decision Based Collaborative Optimization framework more accu-rately models the existing relationship between business and engineering in multidisciplinary systems design