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Engineering & Simulation · Concept
Surrogate Modeling / Classical Surrogates
Concept-level feasibility surrogate screening
Research Support low effect
Core capability
These methods replace expensive simulation runs with fast approximations, helping engineering teams evaluate more options in less time while keeping model behavior relatively interpretable.
How it works
The team runs a limited number of accurate simulations at carefully chosen points, and the system turns those results into a fast approximation model that can estimate many similar cases almost instantly.
Application here
Approximation models provide rough engineering estimates at concept speed without needing full simulation support.
Business impact
This helps teams run quick feasibility checks and move faster in early concept decisions.
Limitations
Estimates are rough and carry wide uncertainty. They should guide discussion, not be treated as reliable proof of feasibility.
In production
This is already a reliable production technique for speeding up design studies and reducing the number of expensive solver runs required.
Research
The next step is fast models that stay current automatically as new evidence comes in, reducing the need to rebuild the whole approximation each time conditions change.
Examples
Application of Design of Experiments and Surrogate Modeling within NASA Marshall’s Advanced Concepts Office
Description: NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office uses classical surrogate models of launch‑vehicle physics to enable near‑instant trade‑off analysis of mass, performance, and cost during concept‑level vehicle studies, screening candidate architectures before committing to full‑fidelity simulations.



Use of Surrogate Modeling for Preliminary Aircraft Landing Gear Design
Description: Researchers at the University of Bristol apply Gaussian‑process surrogates to a simplified landing‑gear physics model, using them to rapidly evaluate structural feasibility and damping behavior across wide parameter ranges in early‑stage landing‑gear concept design.



AI‑powered Vehicle Concept Development – Surrogate‑based Concept Screening in Automotive
Description: A study on AI‑powered vehicle concept development demonstrates surrogate models of physics‑based simulations (e.g., thermal, battery, structural) that reduce per‑run analysis time from minutes or hours to fractions of a second, enabling rapid concept‑level feasibility screening of propulsion and thermal architectures.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20160012092/downloads/20160012092.pdfhttps://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/use-of-surrogate-modeling-for-preliminary-aircraft-landing-gear-dhttps://jin.kusaka.w.waseda.jp/w_a_sympo/2024/06_Bruhnke.pdf
Sources
Ansys optiSLang — ; ESTECO modeFRONTIER —
https://www.ansys.com/products/connect/ansys-optislanghttps://engineering.esteco.com/modefrontier/