Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of a Naval Frigate

The multidisciplinary problem addressed in this paper is one of ship design. Two disciplines are considered, namely the total drag of the ship and its behaviour in waves, characterising the range and the operability of the ship. The necessary analysis is carried out via numerical codes based on potential flow models. Due to its structure, the problem is solved as a nonlinear multiobjective optimization problem as the variables are the same in both the disciplines. Metamodelling techniques are applied to reduce the computational effort. An experimental campaign carried out to check the final model confirmed the success of the optimization process.