Optimal Design of Semisubmersible’s Form Based on Systems Analysis

Abstract

With the objective of developing a computer-aided design method to seek the optimal semisubmersible’s form, hierarchical relationships among many design objectives and conditions are investigated first based on the interpretive structural modeling method. Then, an optimal design method is formulated as a nonlinear multiobjective optimization problem by adopting three mutually conflicting design objectives. A set of Pareto optimal solutions is derived numerically by adopting the generalized reduced gradient algorithm, and it is ascertained that the designer can determine the optimal form more rationally by investigating the trade-off relationships among design objectives.