RBDO Using PCE Metamodel: Optimal Design Changes with Different Optimization Bounds

Hi everyone,

I appreciate the UQLab software and the literature resources available. Thank you very much.

I have a question regarding the optimal design point in RBDO using PCE metamodels.

First condition: My code runs with an optimization bound of [0.010; 0.020], and after the analysis, it finds an optimal design of 1.2741e-02.

Second condition: When the same code runs with an optimization bound of [0.010; 0.013], the program converges to an optimal design of 1.2555e-02.

My question is: Is the first condition finding the true optimal design? Shouldn’t both conditions converge to the same optimal design point?

The code I am using is as follows:

  • RBDO code: Z_B_uq_Rotor_Laval_Surrogate_PCE_RBDO

Z_B_uq_Rotor_Laval_Surrogate_PCE_RBDO.m (6.1 KB)

  • Codes to run the limit state function:
    Archive.zip (16.1 KB)

Thank you very much for all your support.

Hi @Barbara_Oliveira_Men

It is quite possible that they will not converge to the exact same design point. Some reasons for this can be

  • The CCMAES algorithm has a random component, so different initializations may produce different results, even if you specify the random seed.
  • The algorithm may stop too early because it has too soft stopping criteria.
  • The function you are optimizing has a complex topology with possibly many local minima. The solver may end up in different minima.

Best regards
Styfen

Hi Styfen,

Thank you very much for your clarification. It is clear.

Best,

Barbara