Auto-designer Target Generator | SBIR.gov - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

Description:

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Weapons

OBJECTIVE: Develop an approach for auto-designing target structures to be used in weaponeering analyses.

DESCRIPTION: Target structures are required to be generated to be used in weapon targeting analyses. Currently, targets are generated automatically using a set of rule bases to determine sizing of target structures and their components. However, there are many instances where structure configurations need to be modified which leaves the resulting structural elements not sized appropriately. The addition of components, utilities, lobbies, or other alterations to a base structure could also change the load path and the sizing of the structural elements. For these reasons, there is a need for an auto-designer tool that to can be applied to verify the target structure accurately resembles real world construction and engineering practices. The target structure would still be generated using rule bases. The approach desired would allow for the auto-designer tool to apply structural engineering calculations to verify that structural components are appropriately sized. Any alterations to the structure size, column spacing, wall span, etc. would result in a change to the structural component sizing. The result of the effort would be a software tool that is tied into AFRL’s Endgame Framework, which allows it to be used by weaponeering software tools.

PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of applying an auto-designer approach to generating and modifying structural targets.
1. Identify and categorize the major types of construction types currently covered in target generation approaches. A generalized set of design parameters should be identified by structure type.
2. Develop an auto-design methodology for a single type of structure. The auto-design approach should be capable of sizing structural components based on distributed design loads from building characteristics or modifications.
3. Prepare a Phase II plan to develop auto-designer approaches for the remainder of the construction types identified in bullet item 1 above.

PHASE II: Develop and validate auto-design approaches for the remaining structure types identified in Phase I, using existing structures as data. Implement the auto-design tool into AFRL’s Endgame Framework.

PHASE III: Contractor will further validate the auto-design tool and refine optimization algorithms to ensure that the appropriate component sizes are calculated. Enhance the auto-design approaches to account for seismic and hurricane/tornado zone considerations. The tool should also have an option for hardened urban structures that have been enhanced for physical security reasons.

REFERENCES:

1. Verner, D., and R. Dukes. “Automating ground-fixed target modeling with the smart target model generator.” Modeling and Simulation for Military Operations II. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 6564, article id. 656401 (2007).; 2. Foley, C., and D. Schinler. “Automated Design of Steel Frames using Advanced Analysis and Object-Oriented Evolutionary Computation.” J. of Structural Engineering, Volume 129, Issue 5, May 2003.

KEYWORDS: Structural Response, Structural Analysis, Design