On the Common Structure of MDO Problems: A Comparison of Architectures

Abstract

A new MDO framework has been developed in Python to provide a platform for comparisons relating the performance of various MDO architectures. The framework eliminates the need for problem reformulation when solving MDO problems in multiple architectures. Once a problem has been described, the implementation in any architecture is automatic. In addition to providing a performance comparison of the more common architectures, the modular design of the framework allows rapid testing of newly developed architectures. Results generated from this study provide a strong foundation for identifying the performance trends of various architectures with a variety of problem classes. It also serves to verify the performance and potential of those tested.