Efficient Robust Design Optimization of a Stacker–Reclaimer Structure Under Uncertainty

A stacker–reclaimer structure (SRS) is a massive structure used for bulk material exploration. Performance of SRS is sensitive to the effect of uncertainty which may lead to catastrophic failure consequences. Thus, in this paper a comparatively new robust design optimization (RDO) approach for design of SRS is explored. The involved parameter of SRS e.g., material loading, incrustation, normal digging, etc., may not have well-defined probability density functions and can be expressed as uncertain but bounded (UBB) type parameters. Hence, RDO is explored for probabilistic as well as UBB cases. Solution of such RDO problem in full simulation approach would require extensive computational time. Hence, response surface method (RSM) based metamodeling approach has been adopted here to alleviate computational burden. Also, as conventional least squares method (LSM) based RSM may be a source of error, this study adopts a comparatively new moving LSM (MLSM) based adaptive RSM in RDO. The RDO results depict that UBB type uncertainty is more critical than the probabilistic case. The proposed MLSM based RDO approach yields reasonably accurate design solutions in a computationally efficient way. The proposed MLSM based RDO approach yields design solutions which ensures safe performance of SRS even in the presence of uncertainty.