A hybrid global-local approach for optimization of injection gate locations in liquid composite molding process simulations

The optimization of injection gate locations in liquid composite molding processes by trial and error based methods is time consuming and requires an elevated level of intuition, even when high fidelity physics-based numerical models are available. Optimization based on continuous sensitivity equations (CSE) and gradient search algorithms focused towards minimizing the mold infusion time gives a robust approach that will converge to local optima based on the initial solution. Optimization via genetic algorithms (GA) utilizes natural selection as a means of finding the optimal solution in the global domain; the computed solution is at best, close to the global optimum with further refinement still possible. In this paper, we present a hybrid global-local search approach that combines evolutionary GAs with gradient-based searches via the CSE. The hybrid approach provides a global search with the GA for a predetermined amount of time and is subsequently further refined with a gradient-based search via the CSE. In our hybrid method, we utilize the efficiency of gradient searches combined with the robustness of the GA. The resulting combination has been demonstrated to provide better and more physically correct results than either method alone. The hybrid method provides optimal solutions more quickly than GA alone and more robustly than CSE based searches alone. A resin infusion quality parameter that measures the deviation from a near uniform mold volume infusion rate is defined. The effectiveness of the hybrid method with a modified objective function that includes both the infusion time and the defined mold infusion quality parameter is demonstrated. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.