The use of distributed computing in structural design optimization systems

This paper describes how distributed computing can be applied in structural design optimization systems in order to increase the computational efficiency. It is described where distributed computing can be applied in the design optimization process and the emphasis is put on the design sensitivity analysis as this subproblem of the optimization process is the most obvious choice for distributed computing. General and efficient expressions for finite element based design sensitivity analysis of elastostatic and elastodynamic problems are derived using the direct differentiation approach, and it is then illustrated how the public domain code PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) [1] can be applied to obtain effective distributed design sensitivity analysis on a network of heterogeneous UNIX computers.