Decision Support Toolkit (DST)

The Decision Support Toolkit (DST) is made out of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the Solver.  The GUI helps the user define the flow chart of a design activity, including the simulation tools which will be used for the analysis.  The performance metrics which are optimized comprise the objective functions, the operational requirements comprise the constraints, and the selections that can be made comprise the design variables. 

The Solver takes control and runs automatically external software tools utilized for simulating the performance of a system (i.e. mobility computations, finite element structural analysis, thermal analysis, etc.).  It automatically handles the exchange of data between the optimization process and the external simulation tools. The Solver decides through embedded mathematical algorithms how to best select the design variables in order to achieve an optimum system performance. 

The DST identifies choices of alternative designs that balance multiple and competing performance metrics while satisfying all performance requirements and constraints.Uncertainty in physical properties and/or accuracy of simulation tools is taken into account when determining robust and reliable solutions.

The DST allows teams to perform design discovery through elimination of truly infeasible or substantially dominated designs.

Engineers from different technical areas, project managers, and stakeholders use the DST for robust design and decision making.

The DST evaluates sets of feasible candidate design solutions while retaining diversity of technology. In this manner knowledge is gained and decisions are made based on what the solution is not.

Using the DST for ground combat vehicle design identified how modest adjustments in the fuel tank capacity, powertrain selection, along with improvements in the fueling system and the attachment time for add-on armor opened up the design space to high performing solutions while still meeting all performance requirements.

Another application is using the DST for hypersonic Thermal Protection System (TPS) design.

In this case the shape of the vehicle and the trajectory have been configured and the DST determines what material to use and how thick to make the aeroshell and the thermal blankets for minimum mass.

The maximum stress on the aeroshell structure and the maximum temperatures are monitored. The effect of uncertainty in the exact values of the thermal properties is taken into account during the decision making process since it will impact the actual temperatures experienced within the TPS and the vehicle structure.