Design optimisation of a semi‐solid tyre using response surface approximations

A general approach for the construction of global approximations to structural behaviour using response surface methodology is presented. The computation and use of these approximations are demonstrated using a semi‐solid tyre example. The use of these global approximations to the responses made it viable to utilise the capabilities of non‐linear analysis software in design optimisation. The insight gained from a preliminary low fidelity model was utilized in a two‐stage approach to achieve the maximum benefit from a more expensive high fidelity model. The resulting high‐accuracy approximations greatly reduced the cost of subsequent design calculations such as multidisciplinary and discrete optimisation.