Pareto-optimal solutions in helicopter design problems

The design of a complex engineering system involves several competing objectives which cannot be combined into a single objective function. This paper introduces the concept of a Pareto-optimal solution in the context of multiple objective helicopter design problems. Commonly used techniques for generating Pareto-optimal solutions are discussed. The use and effectiveness of multiple objective optimization techniques in the formulation and solution of design problems are developed and demonstrated via an application to two types of helicopter design problems. The first problem deals with the determination of optimum flight parameters to accomplish a specified mission in the presence of three competing objectives. The second example addresses an optimum design of the main rotor blades of a helicopter involving eight objective functions. Results obtained using seven different multi-objective optimization techniques are presented. A comparison is made between the relative efficiency of these techniques in terms of the required preference information, as well as the quality of solutions generated by each technique.