DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION in MSC

MSC.Nastran 2001 contains the ability to apply discrete variables in the optimization process. This was done in recognition that engineers are often required to deal with discrete variables in engineering design activities. MSC developed and implemented Design of Experiments (DOE) and Conservative Discrete Design (CDD) approaches to deal with discrete variables with limited computational cost. These two approaches, together with engineering rounded-off methods, can be used to process discrete variables at any specified continuous design optimization cycle for structural design problems. Brief background and a theoretical discussion about these approaches are given in this paper. Finally, the new discrete optimization feature in SOL 200 is illustrated by some examples.