Multidisciplinary aircraft conceptual design optimisation using a Hierarchical Asynchronous Parallel Evolutionary Algorithm (HAPEA)

In this paper we present some results of continuing research into improving robustness speed and application of Hierarchical Parallel Asynchronous Evolution Algorithms (HAPEA) to multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) and aircraft conceptual design problems. The formulation and implementation of the HAPEA-MDO algorithm is described and can be regarded as an architecture that is applicable to either integrated or distributed system optimisation design for complex, non-linear and non-differentiable problems. In this paper the formulation for HAPEA-MDO will be described and applied to single and multi objective MDO problems. Two cases related to aircraft design are analysed. We compute the Nash and Pareto optimal configurations satisfying the specified criteria in both cases and show that the HAPEA approach provides very efficient solutions to the stated design problems.