Cost-based, integrated design optimization

Prompted by a shift in design philosophy from product performance to cost-effectiveness, the present work addresses issues pertaining to the evaluation of cost during design and its subsequent incorporation in the design optimization process. Various cost modeling methodologies as applicable to engineering design are studied. Following a comparison of the performance-oriented and cost-driven approaches to design optimization, a novel, unified approach termed design-for-integrated-cost-and-performance is developed. Moreover, focusing mainly on structural design, implications of the simultaneous design paradigm, which extends the design process beyond its conventional boundaries, are highlighted by considering manufacturing and fabrication constraints alongside the typical structural requirements such as mass, stiffness, or strength.