Optimization of Subsystem Integration via the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.

摘要

Engineering design of a product (such as an aircraft) invariably seeks to achieve several desiderata - several features and performances desired by the customer (actual or perceived customer). Usually the desiderata are conflicting, in the sense that improvement of one requires some sacrifice of another. Therefore, design requires that a means be employed for 'balancing' the various desiderata, in order to determine and then account for their relative importance. Optimal design seeks to provide such a means, by establishing a mathematical 'objective function' with a measure of value (to the customer) as the dependent variable and the desiderata as independent variables. A procedure for establishing such an objective function is presented in this report, along with a rational methodology for 'subsystem integration' - a procedure for establishing subsystem objective functions such that, when each is individually optimized, the overall objective function is optimized.