Modeling and solution strategies for hierarchical design optimization

A modeling strategy for optimization of engineering design problems decomposed in hierarchical fashion is presented. The decomposition is such that each level in the hierarchy corresponds to a different level of detail in the design description. The highest level involves optimization of gross measures of design performance while lower levels correspond to optimization of increasingly more detailed aspects of the design. The modeling is based on fuzzy set theory, which provides the operational connection between problems at different levels. A formal optimization algorithm to solve the decomposed problem is presented. An example is provided for illustration.