Application of derivative-free multi-objective algorithms to reliability-based robust design optimization of a high-speed catamaran in real ocean environment

A Reliability-Based Robust Design Optimization (RBRDO) for ship hulls is presented. A real ocean environment is considered, including stochastic sea state and speed. The optimization problem has two objectives: (a) the reduction of the expected value of the total resistance in waves and (b) the increase of the ship operability (reliability). Analysis tools include a URANS solver, uncertainty quantification methods and metamodels, developed and validated in earlier research. The design space is defined by an orthogonal four-dimensional representation of shape modifications, based on the Karhunen-Loève expansion of free-form deformations of the original hull. The objective of the present paper is the assessment of deterministic derivativefree multi-objective optimization algorithms for the solution of the RBRDO problem, with focus on multiobjective extensions of the Deterministic Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) algorithm. Three evaluation metrics provide the assessment of the proximity of the solutions to a reference Pareto front and their wideness. © 2015 Taylor & Francis Group, London.