Role of Figures of Merit in Design Optimization and Technology Assessment

TLDR: An economical preliminary design procedure is discussed which transforms the complex relationships of a sophisticated design synthesis performance analysis into simpler second-order expressions through a regression analysis, which can be used to determine constrained optimal designs for a wide variety of figures of merit.

Abstract: An economical preliminary design procedure is discussed which transforms the complex relationships of a sophisticated design synthesis performance analysis into simpler second-order expressions through a regression analysis. These relationships can then be used to determine constrained optimal designs for a wide variety of figures of merit. A design study of military and commercial cargo transports is described in which optimum designs for seven different figures of merit are determined. Differences from previous studies due to technology representation are discussed and off-design penalties, trade boundaries, and design sensitivities are developed.