A new interval optimization method considering tolerance design

This study considers the design variable uncertainty in the actual manufacturing process for a product or structure and proposes a new interval optimization method based on tolerance design, which can provide not only an optimal design but also the allowable maximal manufacturing errors that the design can bear. The design variables' manufacturing errors are depicted using the interval method, and an interval optimization model for the structure is constructed. A dimensionless design tolerance index is defined to describe the overall uncertainty of all design variables, and by combining the nominal objective function, a deterministic two-objective optimization model is built. The possibility degree of interval is used to represent the reliability of the constraints under uncertainty, through which the model is transformed to a deterministic optimization problem. Three numerical examples are investigated to verify the effectiveness of the present method.