Reliability‐based Design Optimization of Structures

Summary

The objective of optimizing mechanical structures is to select the best possible design in terms of cost and quality. This chapter presents design optimization and reliability methodologies that include mechanical uncertainties. The deterministic design optimization and the reliability‐based design optimization (RBDO) methods are also presented. These methods can be applied in the initial design phases of mechanical structures. Various applications highlight the reliability‐based design optimization method. The chapter provides several applications of RBDO, in particular at the nanometer scale for the carbon nanotube. The elastoplastic properties of thin‐film single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) structures are estimated by combining the finite element method results with the data from nanoindentation tests. Based on the full charge–discharge cycles of the indentation of thin‐film SWCNT structures, the elastoplastic behavior of the SWCNT film is described by a linear expression.