Bi-fidelity conditional value-at-risk estimation by dimensionally decomposed generalized polynomial chaos expansion

Digital twin models allow us to continuously assess the possible risk of damage and failure of a complex system. Yet high-fidelity digital twin models can be computationally expensive, making quick-turnaround assessment challenging. Toward this goal, this article proposes a novel bi-fidelity method for estimating the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) for nonlinear systems subject to dependent and high-dimensional inputs. For models that can be evaluated fast, a method that integrates the dimensionally decomposed generalized polynomial chaos expansion (DD-GPCE) approximation with a standard sampling-based CVaR estimation is proposed. For expensive-to-evaluate models, a new bi-fidelity method is proposed that couples the DD-GPCE with a Fourier-polynomial expansion of the mapping between the stochastic low-fidelity and high-fidelity output data to ensure computational efficiency. The method employs measure-consistent orthonormal polynomials in the random variable of the low-fidelity output to approximate the high-fidelity output. Numerical results for a structural mechanics truss with 36-dimensional (dependent random variable) inputs indicate that the DD-GPCE method provides very accurate CVaR estimates that require much lower computational effort than standard GPCE approximations. A second example considers the realistic problem of estimating the risk of damage to a fiber-reinforced composite laminate. The high-fidelity model is a finite element simulation that is prohibitively expensive for risk analysis, such as CVaR computation. Here, the novel bi-fidelity method can accurately estimate CVaR as it includes low-fidelity models in the estimation procedure and uses only a few high-fidelity model evaluations to significantly increase accuracy.