A heuristic sequencing procedure for sequential solution of decomposed optimal design problems

The efficiency of designing a large‐scale structure with many variables can often be increased by decomposing the design problem into less complex sub‐problems. This article presents heuristic procedures of determining an appropriate design sequence to solve decomposed structural optimization problems using a sequential design (single‐pass) strategy. One heuristic procedure exploits the monotonicity of a global constraint, which is included in all the sub‐problems. Another procedure is based on the coupling strength of interactions between sub‐problems, obtaining the appropriate design sequence and then verifying it with monotonicity analysis. The procedures are applied to two types of structural design problems; the metric for sequencing decomposed sub‐problems can be obtained analytically for one design problem and numerically for another one. As a result, the sequencing procedures lead to satisfactory solutions at low computational cost, indicating their value for industrial product development.