COMSOL, Inc. COMSOL Multiphysics® Optimization Module

No matter the engineering discipline, once you have a model of a product or a process, you want to improve upon it. The Optimization Module can be used throughout the COMSOL Multiphysics product family, it is a general interface for computing optimal solutions to engineering problems. Model inputs such as part shapes, material properties, or material distribution, can be treated as design variables, and any model output can be an objective function. The Optimization Module computes the analytic sensitivities of the objective function to the design variables, considers any constraints imposed upon the problem, and uses a gradient-based optimization technique to find optimal designs. Based upon the SNOPT code developed by Philip E. Gill of the University of California San Diego, and Walter Murray and Michael A. Saunders of Stanford University, the Optimization Module can be used to solve shape, size, and topology optimization problems, as well as inverse problems such as parameter estimation. With a very general interface, the capabilities of the Optimization Module can be used in conjunction with any combination of other COMSOL products.