Integrating and automating analysis and optimization

The development of an interface coupling program on personal computers for an analysis software system such as ANSYS, SAP, etc. and an optimization software system, MOST, is presented. By controlling and directing the communications the interface coupler integrates the two programs while retaining their versatility and interactive features. The integrated system is used to solve a numerical example of active noise control for a three-dimensional enclosure, in which an energy density level of control points is minimized by adding the sound source to cancel the unwanted noise. The interface coupling program automates with relatively low cost the iterative process for designing an engineering system, remaining flexible in acoustical modelling and efficient in equation solving. Also, the coupling interface is developed in a general-purpose way so that it can be expanded easily to integrate more analysis software packages of different kinds.