A simulation-based method for reliability based design optimization problems with highly nonlinear constraints

• A simulation-based method is described for reliability based design optimization.
• The method provides multi-level of solutions by performing only one simulation run.
• The method is easy to use and eliminated the requirement of sensitivity evaluations.
• Robustness of proposed method is examined by solving highly nonlinear examples.

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is a topic of interest in the design of economical structures. It allows designers to effectively reach a balanced cost-safety configuration in the design of structures. In this study, a simulation-based method is presented for RBDO problems in which the design variables are treated as random variables. The method works by uniformly distributing samples in the design space and employing a feature that allows the designer to obtain the optimum design solution by performing only one simulation run. Moreover, the proposed feature also helps the designer to use the results of aforementioned run to provide multi-level design solutions when the arrangement of the design problem is changed. The robustness and accuracy of the method are examined by solving design problems with highly nonlinear constraints and comparing with the results of common RBDO methods. The results confirm the robustness of the method for highly nonlinear problems with different design arrangements.