Optimization of a three-layer metal — Composite shell with stochastic properties of the composite by heuristic methods

Conclusions Heuristic algorithms yield solutions to optimization problems involving structural elements made of materials with stochastic properties. This has been demonstrated on the example of an optimally designed three-layer metal-composite cylindrical shell under axial compression. A solution of the optimization problem in a stochastic formulation obviates the necessity of stipulating the values of structural parameters without justification from the standpoint of reliability requirements.Central Scientific-Research and Design-Experimentation Institute of Automated Systems in Construction Industry. All-Russian Central State Construction Office, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 683–689, July–August, 1978.     

Simulation of MHD processes in high-temperature plasma

The paper analyzes a number of mathematical models and numerical codes developed for the study of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes in high-temperature tokamak plasma. Various approaches are discussed to numerical solution of the nonlinear problems for systems of MHD equations arising in controlled thermonuclear fusion research.Translated from Metody Matematicheskogo Modelirovaniya, Avtomatizatsiya Obrabotki Nablyudenii i Ikh Primeneniya, pp. 243–259, 1986.     

Graceful reassignment of excessively long communications paths in networks

Modern broadband telecommunications networks transport diverse classes of traffic through flexible end-to-end communications paths. For instance, Internet Protocol (IP) networks with Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) carry traffic through label switched paths. These flexible paths are often changed in real, or near-real, time in response to congestion and failures detected in the network. As a result, over time, some of these communications paths become excessively long (referred to as out-of-kilter), leading to poor service performance and waste of network resources. An effective reassignment scheme may require reassignment of communications paths with acceptable length (referred to as in-kilter) in order to generate spare capacity on certain links for the out-of-kilter paths. A graceful reassignment solution provides an ordered sequence of reassignments that satisfies the following: (i) the total number of reassigned communications paths does not exceed a specified limit, (ii) no temporary capacity violations are incurred on any network link during the execution of the sequence of reassignments (reassignments are executed sequentially, one at a time), (iii) a communications path is reassigned only as a unit without being split among multiple alternate routes (iv) all reassigned communications paths will be in-kilter, (v) none of the reassignments of communications paths that were originally in-kilter can be excluded from the specified solution without resulting in some capacity violation, and (vi) the sequence of reassignments approximately optimizes a predefined objective, such as maximizing the number of reassigned out-of-kilter communications paths or maximizing the total load reassigned from out-of-kilter communications paths. The resulting problem is formulated as a multi-period, multi-commodity network flow problem with integer variables. We present a search heuristic that takes advantage of certain problem properties to find subsequences of reassignments that become part of the solution, without performing an exhaustive search. Each subsequence reassigns at least one out-of-kilter communication path.     

On some representations of solutions of dynamical problems in elasticity theory

The divergence and rotation of a translation vector field, which are solutions of wave equations, are used as auxiliary potentials for numerical solution of dynamical problems in elasticity theory. In a particular case, the problems of longitudinal translation are tested in two variants of numerical algorithms with their programming realization, some suggestions are given regarding the choice of the optimal algorithm for achieving highly precise calculations with a small number of discretization points.Translated from Dinamicheskie Sistemy, No. 9, pp. 27–33, 1990.     

Unconstrained 0–1 nonlinear programming: A nondifferentiable approach

The purpose of this paper is to give new formulations for the unconstrained 0–1 nonlinear problem. The unconstrained 0–1 nonlinear problem is reduced to nonlinear continuous problems where the objective functions are piecewise linear. In the first formulation, the objective function is a difference of two convex functions while the other formulations lead to concave problems. It is shown that the concave problems we obtain have fewer integer local minima than has the classical concave formulation of the 0–1 unconstrained 0–1 nonlinear problem.     

A fast solution method for the time-dependent orienteering problem

This paper introduces a fast solution procedure to solve 100-node instances of the time-dependent orienteering problem (TD-OP) within a few seconds of computation time. Orienteering problems occur in logistic situations were an optimal combination of locations needs to be selected and the routing between the selected locations needs to be optimized. In the time-dependent variant, the travel time between two locations depends on the departure time at the first location. Next to a mathematical formulation of the TD-OP, the main contribution of this paper is the design of a fast and effective algorithm to tackle this problem. This algorithm combines the principles of an ant colony system (ACS) with a time-dependent local search procedure equipped with a local evaluation metric. Additionally, realistic benchmark instances with varying size and properties are constructed. The average score gap with the known optimal solution on these test instances is only 1.4% with an average computation time of 0.5 seconds. An extensive sensitivity analysis shows that the performance of the algorithm is insensitive to small changes in its parameter settings.     

Validation of a Structural Optimization Algorithm Transforming Dynamic Loads into Equivalent Static Loads

Generally, structural optimization is carried out based on external static loads. However, all forces have dynamic characteristics in the real world. Mathematical optimization with dynamic loads is almost impossible in a large-scale problem. Therefore, in engineering practice, dynamic loads are often transformed into static loads via dynamic factors, design codes, and so on. Recently, a systematic transformation of dynamic loads into equivalent static loads has been proposed in Refs. 1–3. Equivalent static loads are made to generate at each time step the same displacement field as the one generated by the dynamic loads. In this research, it is verified that the solution obtained via the algorithm of Refs. 1–3 satisfies the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker necessary conditions. Application of the algorithm is discussed.     

Reducing costs of backhaul networks for PCS networks using genetic algorithms

Designing cost-effective telecommunications networks often involves solving several challenging, interdependent combinatorial optimization problems simultaneously. For example, it may be necessary to select a least-cost subset of locations (network nodes) to serve as hubs where traffic is to be aggregated and switched; optimally assign other nodes to these hubs, meaning that the traffic entering the network at these nodes will be routed to the assigned hubs while respecting capacity constraints on the links; and optimally choose the types of links to be used in interconnecting the nodes and hubs based on the capacities and costs associated with each link type. Each of these three combinatorial optimization problems must be solved while taking into account its impacts on the other two. This paper introduces a genetic algorithm (GA) approach that has proved effective in designing networks for carrying personal communications services (PCS) traffic. The key innovation is to represent information about hub locations and their interconnections as two parts of a chromosome, so that solutions to both aspects of the problem evolve in parallel toward a globally optimal solution. This approach allows realistic problems that take 4–10 hours to solve via a more conventional branch-and-bound heuristic to be solved in 30–35 seconds. Applied to a real network design problem provided as a test case by Cox California PCS, the heuristics successfully identified a design 10% less expensive than the best previously known design. Cox California PCS has adopted the heuristic results and plans to incorporate network optimization in its future network designs and requests for proposals.     

A successive approximations method of designing viscoplastic film structures

The solution of problems in which plasticity and creep have to be taken into account necessitates the formulation of cumber some nonlinear differential equations. Finding a solution (analytical or numerical) of these equations is a complex mathematical problem. In some cases, when more detailed data on the mechanical properties of the material in a complex stress state are available, the solution of such problems can be simplified by making use of the aging theory associated with the Tresca-St. Venant conditions of creep. A numerical solution is obtained in this case with the aid of geometrical conditions and equilibrium equations; the accuracy of the solution is determined by the number of approximations.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 137–144, 1965     

A unified formulation of the machine scheduling problem

A wide class of machine scheduling problems can be formulated as ILP problems and solved by branch and bound using the out-of-kilter algorithm for the solution of the subproblems.     

Dynamic stability of glass-reinforced plastic shells

The problem of the dynamic stability of circular-cylindrical glass-reinforced plastic shells subjected to external transverse pressure is examined in the nonlinear formulation. After the Lagrange equations have been constructed, the problem reduces to the integration of a system of ordinary differential equations with aperiodic coefficients. The integration has been carried out numerically on a computer for various loading rates and shell parameters. Analogous problems for isotropic metal shells were examined in [1–4]. A review of the subject may be found in [5].Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 109–115, 1968     

Elliptic operators on elementary ramified spaces

Diffusion problems on topological networks (one-dimensional networks) have been introduced by G. Lumer [Lu. 1–4] and are also considered by F. Ali Mehmeti [AM] and the author [N.1–3]. According to the ideas of G. Lumer [Lu. 5], we develop here a local approach to diffusion problems on higher dimensional ramified spaces. We consider the variational formulation of such problems (see [L-U, G-T, Li, Sh, Lu. 5]). The transmission operator is the sum of weak Ventcel'-Visik boundary operators [B-C-P] (it is either a first order operator or a second order operator). Finally, like Gilbarg-Trudinger [G-T], we establish a continuity result which will be used in [N. 5] to show that one of the assumptions of the Lumer-Phillips theorem [P] (density of the range) is fulfilled.     

On the game theory approach to problems of optimization of elastic bodies : PMM vol. 37, n6, 1973, pp. 1098–1108

Problems of optimization of elastic bodies are considered usually in deterministic formulation, and for their solution the methods of variational calculus and the theory of optimal control are applicable (c.f., e.g., [1] and [2–4]). In the present paper there are considered those cases when either the complete information concerning the applied loads is not available,or it is known that the structure may be subjected subsequently to various loads of a certain class. The formulation is given of the problem of the determination of the shape of the elastic body, optimal for a class of loads, and there is indicated a general scheme for its solution based on the “minimax” approach used in the theory of games. Problems of optimization of elastic beams are considered and as a result of their solution certain features of optimal shapes are exhibited.     

A compact formulation of an elastoplastic analysis problem

Two important problems in the area of engineering plasticity are limit load analysis and elastoplastic analysis. It is well known that these two problems can be formulated as linear and quadratic programming problems, respectively (Refs. 1–2). In applications, the number of variables in each of these mathematical programming problems tends to be large. Consequently, it is important to have efficient numerical methods for their solution. The purpose of this paper is to present a method which allows the quadratic programming formulation of the elastoplastic analysis to be reformulated as an equivalent quadratic programming problem which has significantly fewer variables than the original formulation. Indeed, in Section 4, we will present details of an example for which the original quadratic programming formulation required 297 variables and for which the equivalent formulation presented here required only two variables. The method is based on a characterization of the entire family of optimal solutions for a linear programming problem.This research was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada under Grant No. A8189 and by a Leave Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The author takes pleasure in acknowledging many stimulating discussions with Professor D. E. Grierson.     

Mathematical justification of a nonlinear integro-differential equation for the propagation of spherical flames

This paper is devoted to the justification of an asymptotic model for quasisteady three-dimensional spherical flames proposed by G. Joulin [17]. The paper [17] derives, by means of a three-scale matched asymptotics, starting from the classical thermo-diffusive model with high activation energies, an integro-differential equation for the flame radius. In the derivation, it is essential for the Lewis Number – i.e. the ratio between thermal and molecular diffusion – to be strictly less than unity. If is the inverse of the – reduced – activation energy, the idea underlying the construction of [17] is that (i) the time scale of the radius motion is ^-2, and that (ii) at each time step, the solution is -close to a steady solution.In this paper, we give a rigorous proof of the validity of this model under the restriction that the Lewis number is close to 1 – independently of the order of magnitude of the activation energy. The method used comprises three steps: (i) a linear stability analysis near a steady – or quasi-steady – solution, which justifies the fact that the relevant time scale is ^-2; (ii) the rigorous construction of an approximate solution; (iii) a nonlinear stability argument. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) Primary 80A25, Secondary 35K57, 47G20     

Global classical solution of quasi-stationary Stefan free boundary problem

We consider an one-phase quasi-stationary Stefan problem (Hele–Shaw problem) in multidimensional case. Under some reasonable conditions we prove that the problem has a classical solution globally in time. The method can be used in two-phase problem as well. We also discuss asymptotic behavior of solution as t→+∞. The method developed here can be extended to a general class of free boundary problems.     

A difference method for the solution of a class of generalized boundary-value problems in a half-strip

A class of problems in a generalized formulation is studied for the case of a half-strip. A theorem is proven on the existence and uniqueness of the solution in a weighted Sobolev space; a difference scheme is constructed on a finite lattice and the rate of its convergence is established.Translated fromVychislitel'naya i Prikladnaya Matematika, No. 69, pp. 28–37, 1989.     

Asymptotic Integration of Parabolic Problems with Large High-Frequency Summands

We develop the averaging method theory for parabolic problems with rapidly oscillating summands some of which are large, i.e., proportional to the square root of the frequency of oscillations. In this case the corresponding averaged problems do not coincide in general with those obtained by the traditional averaging, i.e., by formally averaging the summands of the initial problem (since the principal term of the asymptotic expansion of a solution to the latter problem is not in general a solution to the so-obtained problem). In this article we consider the question of time periodic solutions to the first boundary value problem for a semilinear parabolic equation of an arbitrary order 2k whose nonlinear terms, including the large, depend on the derivatives of the unknown up to the order k-1. We construct the averaged problem and the formal asymptotic expansion of a solution. When the large summands depend on the unknown rather than its derivatives we justify the averaging method and the complete asymptotic expansion of a solution.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 Levenshtam V. B.The author was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant 01-01-00678) and the Program “ Universities of Russia” (UR.04.01.029).__________Translated from Sibirskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 805–821, July–August, 2005.     

Compression of an orthotropic prism

The formulation and mathematically correct solution of a three-dimensional boundary value problem are given. A numerical calculation is presented for a prism of Canadian spruce and the displacement and stress fields are determined.Presented at a scientific seminar on polymer mechanics held in the Mechanics-Mathematics Department of Moscow State University, February 7, 1968.M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 810–815, September–October, 1968.