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Results for “Constraint programming”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Combined strength and aeroelastic wing synthesis via constraint approximation

A numerical optimization program using constraint approximations for preliminary sizing of wing structural design parameters to satisfy simultaneous strength and aeroelastic requirements is described. The effects of wing flexibility on loads and flutter are included. The iterative procedure approximates wing internal load distributions and flutter response in generating design constraints. Though a linear Taylor series approximation to the variation of flutter speed is made, constraints in general are formulated as nonlinear and solved in a minimum weight problem using a feasible directions search. The technique is demonstrated for the determination of the optimal ply orientations and for simultaneous sizing for strength and flutter with simple constraint approximations.

Mullen, J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Structural design with stress and displacement constraints

DESAPI program synthesizes linear elastic structures under static loads. Its design objective is finding element sizes that minimize total weight without changing layout structure. Primary constraints are upper limits on stresses and displacements prescribed as yield and loacl instability criteria. Program is written in FORTRAN IV for batch execution and is implemented on IBM 360 computer.

Kiusalaas, J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Space Station program

Cost constraints to a large degree control the functionality and form of the IOC of the Space Station. Planning of Station missions must be delayed to retain flexibility, a goal also served by modular development of the Station and by multi-use laboratory modules. Early emphasis on servicing other spacecraft is recommended, as is using available Shuttle flight time for R&D on Space Station technologies and operations.

Hinners, N. W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Reasoning about software specifications - A case study

The launch intercept condition (LIC) problem was analyzed to better understand the complexity of the automated reasoning process and the nature and role of background knowledge. An extension to resolution-based logic processing systems, called constraint logic programming, is described. Consideration is also given to a knowledge-driven incremental reasoning architecture which integrates a generic constraint logic programming system with a knowledge base of the domain.

Wild, Chris↗
NASA NTRS1988

Experiment scheduling for Spacelab missions

The Experiment Scheduling Program (ESP) is the heart of a group of programs developed at NASA-Marshall to schedule the experiment activities of Spacelab and other Shuttle missions. Other programs in the group either prepare input data for ESP or produce derivative information based on the schedule produced by ESP. The task of experiment scheduling can be simply stated as positioning the experiment activities in a mission to that they collect their desired data without interfering with other activities. The program's capabilities as seen by the user are described along with mission constraints the program handles, and how the expert system in the program handles these constraints.

Jaap, John↗
NASA NTRS1977

DESAP 1: A structural design program with stress and displacement constraints. Volume 1: Theoretical and user's manual

A finite element program is presented for computer-automated, minimum weight design of elastic structures with constraints on stresses (including local instability criteria) and displacements. Volume 1 of the report contains the theoretical and user's manual of the program. Sample problems and the listing of the program are included in Volumes 2 and 3. The element subroutines are organized so as to facilitate additions and changes by the user. As a result, a relatively minor programming effort would be required to make DESAP 1 into a special purpose program to handle the user's specific design requirements and failure criteria.

Kiusalaas, J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

An investigation of constraint-based component-modeling for knowledge representation in computer-aided conceptual design

Originally, computer programs for engineering design focused on detailed geometric design. Later, computer programs for algorithmically performing the preliminary design of specific well-defined classes of objects became commonplace. However, due to the need for extreme flexibility, it appears unlikely that conventional programming techniques will prove fruitful in developing computer aids for engineering conceptual design. The use of symbolic processing techniques, such as object-oriented programming and constraint propagation, facilitate such flexibility. Object-oriented programming allows programs to be organized around the objects and behavior to be simulated, rather than around fixed sequences of function- and subroutine-calls. Constraint propagation allows declarative statements to be understood as designating multi-directional mathematical relationships among all the variables of an equation, rather than as unidirectional assignments to the variable on the left-hand side of the equation, as in conventional computer programs. The research has concentrated on applying these two techniques to the development of a general-purpose computer aid for engineering conceptual design. Object-oriented programming techniques are utilized to implement a user-extensible database of design components. The mathematical relationships which model both geometry and physics of these components are managed via constraint propagation. In addition, to this component-based hierarchy, special-purpose data structures are provided for describing component interactions and supporting state-dependent parameters. In order to investigate the utility of this approach, a number of sample design problems from the field of aerospace engineering were implemented using the prototype design tool, Rubber Airplane. The additional level of organizational structure obtained by representing design knowledge in terms of components is observed to provide greater convenience to the program user, and to result in a database of engineering information which is easier both to maintain and to extend.

Kolb, Mark A.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Approximating Joint Chance Constraints in Two-Stage Stochastic Programs

We present various approximations to joint chance constraints arising in two-stage stochastic programming models. Our approximations are derived from three classical inequalities: Markov's inequality, Chebysev's inequality, and Chernoff's bound. We provide preliminary computational results illustrating the quality of our approximation using a two-stage joint-chance-constrained stochastic program from the literature. We also briefly introduce other alternatives for constructing approximations for joint-chance-constrained two-stage programs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1983

Accommodation of practical constraints by a linear programming jet select

An experimental spacecraft control system will be incorporated into the Space Shuttle flight software and exercised during a forthcoming mission to evaluate its performance and handling qualities. The control system incorporates a 'phase space' control law to generate rate change requests and a linear programming jet select to compute jet firings. Posed as a linear programming problem, jet selection must represent the rate change request as a linear combination of jet acceleration vectors where the coefficients are the jet firing times, while minimizing the fuel expended in satisfying that request. This problem is solved in real time using a revised Simplex algorithm. In order to implement the jet selection algorithm in the Shuttle flight control computer, it was modified to accommodate certain practical features of the Shuttle such as limited computer throughput, lengthy firing times, and a large number of control jets. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first such application of linear programming. It was made possible by careful consideration of the jet selection problem in terms of the properties of linear programming and the Simplex algorithm. These modifications to the jet select algorithm may by useful for the design of reaction controlled spacecraft.

Bergmann, E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

DESAP 2: A structural design program with stress and buckling constraints. Volume 1: Theoretical and user's manual

DESAP 2 is described as a finite element program for computer-automated, minimum weight design of elastic structures with constraints on stresses (including local instability criteria) and buckling loads. No limits are placed on the number of load conditions for stress-constrained design, but only one of these load conditions can be chosen as the potential buckling load. A substantial portion of DESAP 2, particularly the analysis of the prebuckling state, is derived from the SOLID SAP finite element program. The stress-constrained design is based on the classical stress ratio method, which drives the design towards a fully stressed state. The constraints on the buckling load are handled by solving the appropriate optimality criterion by successive iterations. During each iteration, the element sizes determined by the stress ratio method are used as the minimum size constraints. The element subroutines are organized in a manner that permits the user to make additions and changes with a minimal programming effort. Consequently, DESAP 2 can readily be changed into a special-purpose program to handle the user's specific design requirements and failure criteria.

Kiusalaas, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Technique to eliminate computational instability in multibody simulations employing the Lagrange multiplier

A programming technique to eliminate computational instability in multibody simulations that use the Lagrange multiplier is presented. The computational instability occurs when the attached bodies drift apart and violate the constraints. The programming technique uses the constraint equation, instead of integration, to determine the coordinates that are not independent. Although the equations of motion are unchanged, a complete derivation of the incorporation of the Lagrange multiplier into the equation of motion for two bodies is presented. A listing of a digital computer program which uses the programming technique to eliminate computational instability is also presented. The computer program simulates a solid rocket booster and parachute connected by a frictionless swivel.

Watts, G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

On optimal control of hybrid dynamical systems using complementarity constraints

Optimal control for switch-based dynamical systems is a challenging problem in the process control literature. In this study, we model these systems as hybrid dynamical systems with finite number of unknown switching points and reformulate them using non-smooth and non-convex complementarity constraints as a mathematical program with complementarity constraints (MPCC). We utilize a moving finite element based strategy to discretize the differential equation system to accurately locate the unknown switching points at the finite element boundary and achieve high-order accuracy at intermediate non-collocation points. We propose a globalization approach to solve the discretized MPCC problem using a mixed NLP/MILP-based strategy to converge to a non-spurious first-order optimal solution. The method is tested on three dynamic optimization examples, including a gas–liquid tank model and an optimal control problem with a sliding mode solution.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1989

Variable-Metric Algorithm For Constrained Optimization

Variable Metric Algorithm for Constrained Optimization (VMACO) is nonlinear computer program developed to calculate least value of function of n variables subject to general constraints, both equality and inequality. First set of constraints equality and remaining constraints inequalities. Program utilizes iterative method in seeking optimal solution. Written in ANSI Standard FORTRAN 77.

Frick, James D.↗
NASA NTRS2006

JSC Materials Laboratory Reproduction and Failure Analysis of Cracked Orbiter Reaction Control System Niobium Thruster Injectors

In April 2004 a Space Shuttle Orbiter Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster was found to be cracked while undergoing a nozzle (niobium/C103 alloy) retrofit. As a failure resulting from an in-flight RCS thruster burn-through (initiated from a crack) could be catastrophic, an official Space Shuttle Program flight constraint was issued until flight safety could be adequately demonstrated. This paper describes the laboratory test program which was undertaken to reproduce the cracking in order to fully understand and bound the driving environments. The associated rationale developed to justify continued safe flight of the Orbiter RCS system is also described. The laboratory testing successfully reproduced the niobium cracking, and established specific bounding conditions necessary to cause cracking in the C103 thruster injectors. Each of the following conditions is necessary in combination together: 1) a mechanically disturbed / cold-worked free surface, 2) an externally applied sustained tensile stress near yield strength, 3) presence of fluorine-containing fluids on exposed tensile / cold-worked free surfaces, and 4) sustained exposure to temperatures greater than 400 F. As a result of this work, it was concluded that fluorine-containing materials (e.g. HF acid, Krytox , Brayco etc.) should be carefully controlled or altogether eliminated during processing of niobium and its alloys.

Castner, Willard L.↗
DOE OSTI2019

A constraint-reduced MPC algorithm for convex quadratic programming, with a modified active set identification scheme

A constraint-reduced Mehrotra-predictor-corrector algorithm for convex quadratic programming is proposed. (At each iteration, such algorithms use only a subset of the inequality constraints in constructing the search direction, resulting in CPU savings.) The proposed algorithm makes use of a regularization scheme to cater to cases where the reduced constraint matrix is rank deficient. Global and local convergence properties are established under arbitrary working-set selection rules subject to satisfaction of a general condition. A modified active-set identification scheme that fulfills this condition is introduced. Numerical tests show great promise for the proposed algorithm, in particular for its active-set identification scheme. While the focus of the present paper is on dense systems, application of the main ideas to large sparse systems is briefly discussed.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1993

The instant sequencing task: Toward constraint-checking a complex spacecraft command sequence interactively

Robotic spacecraft are controlled by sets of commands called 'sequences.' These sequences must be checked against mission constraints. Making our existing constraint checking program faster would enable new capabilities in our uplink process. Therefore, we are rewriting this program to run on a parallel computer. To do so, we had to determine how to run constraint-checking algorithms in parallel and create a new method of specifying spacecraft models and constraints. This new specification gives us a means of representing flight systems and their predicted response to commands which could be used in a variety of applications throughout the command process, particularly during anomaly or high-activity operations. This commonality could reduce operations cost and risk for future complex missions. Lessons learned in applying some parts of this system to the TOPEX/Poseidon mission will be described.

Horvath, Joan C.↗