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A new approach for multi-objective robust design optimization was proposed and applied to a practical design problem with a large number of objective functions. The present approach is assisted by response surface approximation and visual data-mining, and resulted in two major gains regarding computational time and data interpretation. The Kriging model for response surface approximation can markedly reduce the computational time for predictions of robustness. In addition, the use of self-organizing maps as a data-mining technique allows visualization of complicated design information between optimality and robustness in a comprehensible two-dimensional form. Therefore, the extraction and interpretation of trade-off relationships between optimality and robustness of design, and also the location of sweet spots in the design space, can be performed in a comprehensive manner [DOI: 10.1115/1.3125207]

This paper presents a comparison of the criteria for updating the Kriging surrogate models in multi-objective optimization: expected improvement (EI), expected hypervolume improvement (EHVI), estimation (EST), and those in combination (EHVI + EST). EI has been conventionally used as the criterion considering the stochastic improvement of each objective function value individually, while EHVI has recently been proposed as the criterion considering the stochastic improvement of the front of nondominated solutions in multi-objective optimization. EST is the value of each objective function estimated nonstochastically by the Kriging model without considering its uncertainties. Numerical experiments were implemented in the welded beam design problem, and empirically showed that, in an unconstrained case, EHVI maintains a balance between accuracy, spread, and uniformity in nondominated solutions for Kriging-model-based multiobjective optimization. In addition, the present experiments suggested future investigation into techniques for handling constraints with uncertainties to enhance the capability of EHVI in constrained cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]