Course syllabus

Synopsis

The course discusses fundamentals of discrete optimization methods as applied to the problems in mechanical design and manufacturing. Topics include discrete optimization models, integer and mixed-integer programming algorithms, graph search algorithms, heuristic algorithms, an introduction to NP completeness (optional), and case studies.

Lectures present the key concepts and mathematical basis of each topic and its applications in mechanical design and manufacturing. A term project emphasizes the applications of the course materials to a realistic engineering problem.

Prerequisites

Graduate standing with familiarity with MATLAB programming on Windows. Some knowledge in optimization, algorithms and discrete mathematics would be helpful, but not required. 

Textbooks

None. Course notes and a list of references are available on the Web.

Lectures

Instructor

Grade breakdown

Problem sets

Problem sets consist of written problems and computer assignments. The computer assignments include programming in MATLAB in CAEN Windows environment.  Familiarity with or willingness to self-learn MATLAB programming is assumed, and therefore there will be neither tutorial nor troubleshooting offered on MATLAB.

All problem sets are to be done individually. While it is acceptable, and often helpful, to discuss basic strategies for some problems, all work must be completed individually. Referring to past year's problem set solutions, in any forms, are strictly prohibited.

Course project

The course project emphasizes the application of the course material to the engineering design problems of your choice. It can be done individually or by a team of two or more depending on the enrollment. You are encouraged to work on the problems relevant to your research topics. The project requires a proposal (5%), a progress report (15%), an oral presentation (10%), and a final paper (20%). Members of a team will receive same grades for the proposal, reports and final presentation. Detailed guidelines on each of these, as well as abstracts from past projects, are found in Project info page. 

While is it acceptable to work on the same project topic for another course taken in the past or concurrently with this course, the project reports must describe the work distinctively done for this course.  In particular, the students must consult with the instructor a priori to share or recycle the project topic done in ME555 and/or ME590, and must submit a copy of the reports for these courses together with ME558 reports.

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