A Couplings Approach to Mitigate Unexpected Behaviors in Large Scale Complex Engineering Systems Specifically for the Ares 1 Rocket

Abstract

<p>Large-scale complex engineered systems have many components interacting together to impact the end result of the system. However, some interactions of these systems can have unexpected impacts and behaviors on critical functions and thus can lead to the system’s lack of performance or even failure. Catching these unexpected behaviors in the design and development phase of a system can result in saving time, money, and preventing the cancelation of projects altogether. Detecting these impacts early also allows engineers to redesign these components to reduce the negative impact they have on other parts of the system before the development begins. This is a superior alternative as compared to mitigation techniques after development, which are incredibly costly to the project. The goal of this research is to use a coupling strength analysis from the field of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization to identify possible impacts across systems that are undesirable and mitigate them before they become an issue.</p>