Surrogate models based optimization methods for the design of underwater glider wing

High precision numerical analysis methods have been extensively used in the conceptual design of complex engineering systems. Combining high precision numerical analysis methods with optimization algorithms to make a systematic exploration of the design space has become an important topic in the modern design method. During the design process of an underwater glider's wing, a surrogate model is introduced to decrease the computation times of high precision analysis. By this means, the contradiction between precision and efficiency is solved effectively. Through integrating the parametric geometry modeling, mesh generation and computational fluid dynamics analysis as an automatic workflow, and adopting the design of experiment (DOE) theory, a surrogate model is constructed to solve the multi-objects design optimization problem of the underwater glider. The procedure of surrogate model construction is presented and several DOE methods are compared systematically, especially the characteristics and applicability of the response surface model and the radial basis functions model. A fast design exploration and optimization is implemented and the optimal plane of the underwater glider is found out based on the surrogate model. Optimization results show that the lift drag ratio improves about 6.76%, and the pitch moment is reduced from 0.2760 N·m to 0.0015 N·m. © 2009 Journal of Mechanical Engineering.