Selection Families of Optimal Engine Designs Using Nonlinear Programming and Parametric Sensitivity Analysis

The selection process of key engine design variables to maximize peak power subject to fuel economy and packaging objectives is formulated as an optimization problem readily solved with nonlinear programming. The merit of this approach lies not in finding a single optimal engine, but in identifying a family of optimal designs dependent on parameter changes in the constraint set. Sensitivity analysis of the optimum to packaging parameters, fuel economy parameters, and manufacturing parameters is presented and discussed in the context of product development decisions.