Utilização de algoritmo genético em otimização de processos de seleção de materiais

Abstract

In the present work, it is proposed to introduce the use of the Genetic Algorithm (GA), incorporated into MatLab® commercial software, in the optimization stage of a material selection process. To validate the proposed procedure, a case study was made, based on the selection of a material for the blades of a TIDAL turbine. This selection was first developed with the use of a conventional quantitative method, where an initial scan was performed, where clearly inadequate materials were descarted and Ashby maps were used to obtain an initial list of materials candidates for the intended application. An optimization step was followed, with the definition and weighting of the required properties of the material by the component and the establishment of performance indexes, resulting in a first list of materials ordered by this criterion. A second list was then obtained using the Cambridge Engineering Selector - CES software. The program listed for each material family all the options in its database, and then a debugging was done so that a second bill of materials could be reached. Finally, in a third step, the optimization step of the conventional method was modified, with the introduction of the Genetic Algorithm, incorporated into a numerical calculation software. Once again a list of materials was obtained along the lines of the previous ones. Based on the comparison of the results presented by the three methods, the feasibility and the advantages and disadvantages of using the Genetic Algorithm in the selection of materials for the component considered in the case study were analyzed.