Continuum‐based design sensitivity analysis and optimization of nonlinear shell structures using meshfree method

A continuum‐based shape and configuration design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method for a finite deformation elastoplastic shell structure has been developed. Shell elastoplasticity is treated using the projection method that performs the return mapping on the subspace defined by the zero‐normal stress condition. An incrementally objective integration scheme is used in the context of finite deformation shell analysis, wherein the stress objectivity is preserved for finite rotation increments. The material derivative concept is used to develop a continuum‐based shape and configuration DSA method. Significant computational efficiency is obtained by solving the design sensitivity equation without iteration at each converged load step using the same consistent tangent stiffness matrix. Numerical implementation of the proposed shape and configuration DSA is carried out using the meshfree method. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated using numerical examples. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generalized Timoshenko modelling of composite beam structures: sensitivity analysis and optimal design

This article describes a new approach to design the cross-section layer orientations of composite laminated beam structures. The beams are modelled with realistic cross-sectional geometry and material properties instead of a simplified model. The VABS (the variational asymptotic beam section analysis) methodology is used to compute the cross-sectional model for a generalized Timoshenko model, which was embedded in the finite element solver FEAP. Optimal design is performed with respect to the layers’ orientation. The design sensitivity analysis is analytically formulated and implemented. The direct differentiation method is used to evaluate the response sensitivities with respect to the design variables. Thus, the design sensitivities of the Timoshenko stiffness computed by VABS methodology are imbedded into the modified VABS program and linked to the beam finite element solver. The modified method of feasible directions and sequential quadratic programming algorithms are used to seek the optimal continuous solution of a set of numerical examples. The buckling load associated with the twist–bend instability of cantilever composite beams, which may have several cross-section geometries, is improved in the optimization procedure.     

基于有限元灵敏度分析的预锻模具形状优化设计

在控制锻件几何形状的前提下 ,采用有限元灵敏度分析方法 ,对预锻模具形状进行优化设计 .针对下模速度为零时 ,速度灵敏度边界条件为零 ,其形状在优化迭代过程中得不到优化的情况 ,对速度灵敏度边界条件提出改进措施 ,使上下模具形状同时能够得到优化 .最后给出了优化设计实例 ,验证该方法的可靠性 .     

A bispace parameterization method for shape optimization of thin‐walled curved shell structures with openings

Simultaneous shape optimization of thin‐walled curved shell structures and involved hole boundaries is studied in this paper. A novel bispace parameterization method is proposed for the first time to define global and local shape design variables both in the Cartesian coordinate system and the intrinsic coordinate system. This method has the advantage of achieving a simultaneous optimization of the global shape of the shell surface and the local shape of the openings attached automatically on the former. Inherent problems, for example, the effective parameterization of shape design variables, mapping operation between two spaces, and sensitivity analysis with respect to both kinds of design variables are highlighted. A design procedure is given to show how both kinds of design variables are managed together and how the whole design flowchart is carried out with relevant formulations. Numerical examples are presented and the effects of both kinds of design variables upon the optimal solutions are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variational sensitivity analysis of a nonlinear solid shell element

The paper is concerned with variational sensitivity analysis of a nonlinear solid shell element, which is based on the Hu–Washizu variational principle. The sensitivity information is derived on the continuous level and discretized to yield the analytical expressions on the computational level. Especially, the pseudo load matrix and the sensitivity matrix, which dominate design sensitivity analysis of shape optimization problems, are derived. Because of the mixed formulation, condensation of the pseudo load matrix on the element level is performed to compute the sensitivity matrix. An illustrative example from the field of geometry‐based shape optimization demonstrates the possible application of the presented formulation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不确定条件下复合材料结构的全局灵敏度分析

基于不确定条件下结构的全局灵敏度分析理论,研究了输入变量的不确定性对复合材料结构输出响应量方差和失效概率的影响。考虑材料力学性能、铺设角、铺层厚度及加载载荷的不确定性,利用基于方差和基于失效概率的全局灵敏度分析方法,对复合材料结构输出位移和强度比的不确定性来源进行分析,得到输入变量的全局灵敏度排序结果。对复合材料工字梁结构进行算例分析,验证了所得排序结果的有效性,为工程实际中复合材料结构稳定性优化设计提供了一定的指导。     

Discrete material optimization of general composite shell structures

A novel method for doing material optimization of general composite laminate shell structures is presented and its capabilities are illustrated with three examples. The method is labelled Discrete Material Optimization (DMO) but uses gradient information combined with mathematical programming to solve a discrete optimization problem. The method can be used to solve the orientation problem of orthotropic materials and the material selection problem as well as problems involving both. The method relies on ideas from multiphase topology optimization to achieve a parametrization which is very general and reduces the risk of obtaining a local optimum solution for the tested configurations. The applicability of the DMO method is demonstrated for fibre angle optimization of a cantilever beam and combined fibre angle and material selection optimization of a four‐point beam bending problem and a doubly curved laminated shell. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity analysis and shape optimization for preform design in thermo‐mechanical coupled analysis

In complex forging processes, it is essential to find the optimal deformation path and the optimal preform shape that will lead to the desired final shape and service properties. A sensitivity analysis and optimization for preform billet shape in thermo‐mechanical coupled simulation is developed in this work. Non‐linear sensitivity analysis of temperatures, flow‐stresses, strains and strain‐rates are presented with respect to design variables. Both analytical and finite‐difference gradients are employed to validate the effectiveness of sensitivity analysis developed in this work. Numerous iterations of coupled thermo‐mechanical analysis are performed to determine an optimum preform shape based on a given criterion of minimizing the objective function on effective strain variance within the final forging. The design constraints are imposed on die underfill, material scrap, folding defects and temperatures. In addition, a method for material data processing is given in order to determine the flow stress and its derivatives. The shape optimization scheme is demonstrated with the preform designs of an axisymmetric disk and a plane strain problem. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mesh independent analysis of shell‐like structures

Mesh independent analysis is motivated by the desire to use accurate geometric models represented as equations rather than approximated by a mesh. The trial and test functions are approximated or interpolated on a background mesh that is independent of the geometry. This background mesh is easy to generate because it does not have to conform to the geometry. Essential boundary conditions can be applied using the implicit boundary method where the trial and test functions are constructed utilizing approximate step functions such that the boundary conditions are guaranteed to be satisfied. This approach has been demonstrated for two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) structural analysis and is extended in this paper to model shell‐like structures. The background mesh consists of 3D elements that use uniform B‐spline approximations, and the shell geometry is assumed to be defined as parametric surfaces to allow arbitrarily complex shell‐like structures to be modeled. Several benchmark problems are used to study the validity of these 3D B‐spline shell elements. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An approximation technique for design sensitivity analysis of the critical load in non‐linear structures

A new technique of approximating design sensitivities of the critical load is presented in this paper. The technique results in stable and reliable estimations of design sensitivities at prebuckling points. Since taking derivatives of an approximated eigenvalue problem gives unstable sensitivities as the point approaches the critical load, the sensitivities are approximated directly from the exact sensitivity expressions. The sensitivities are approximated by applying two common approaches that are used in the critical load estimation and are called ‘one‐ and two‐point approximation’. The reliability and applicability of the proposed technique are demonstrated through several numerical examples of truss and beam structures. Two‐point approximation of design sensitivities gives better results than one‐point approximation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design sensitivity analysis and optimization for minimizing springback of sheet‐formed part

The springback is a manufacturing defect in the stamping process and causes difficulty in product assembly. An impediment to the use of lighter‐weight, higher‐strength materials in manufacturing is relative lack of understanding about how these materials respond to complex forming processes. The springback can be reduced by using an optimized combination of die, punch, and blank holder shapes together with friction and blank‐holding force. An optimized process can be determined using a gradient‐based optimization to minimize the springback. For an effective optimization of the stamping process, development of an efficient design sensitivity analysis (DSA) for the springback with respect to these process parameters is crucial. A continuum‐based shape and configuration DSA method for the stamping process has been developed using a non‐linear shell model. The material derivative is used to develop the continuum‐based design sensitivity. The design sensitivity equation is solved without iteration at each converged load step in the finite deformation elastoplastic non‐linear analysis with frictional contact, which makes sensitivity calculation very efficient. Numerical implementation of the proposed shape and configuration DSA method is performed using the meshfree method. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are illustrated by minimizing the springback in a benchmark S‐rail problem. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of semi‐analytical design sensitivities of non‐linear structures using equilibrium relations

The accuracy problem of the semi‐analytical method for shape design sensitivity analysis has been reported for linear and non‐linear structures. The source of error is the numerical differentiation of the element internal force vector, which is inherent to the semi‐analytical approach. Such errors occur for structures whose displacement field is characterized by large rigid body rotations of individual elements. This paper presents a method for the improvement of semi‐analytical sensitivities. The method is based on the element free body equilibrium conditions, and on the exact differentiation of the rigid body modes. The method is efficient, simple to code, and can be applied to linear and non‐linear structures. The numerical examples show that this approach eliminates the abnormal errors that occur in the conventional semi‐analytical method. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free surfaces: shape sensitivity analysis and numerical methods

In this paper we consider numerical methods for stationary free boundary problems. We start by analysing systematically different shape optimization formulations of a model problem and show how the optimality conditions relate to construction of trial type methods. Shape sensitivity analysis of the free boundary leads also to the so‐called total linearization method which combines the good properties of Newton method and trial methods, i.e. fast convergence and relative simplicity of implementation. Detailed implementation for a model problem together with numerical tests is presented. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geometrically nonlinear composite beam structures: design sensitivity analysis

The purpose of this paper is to develop a finite element model for optimal design of composite laminated thin-walled beam structures, with geometrically nonlinear behavior, including post-critical behavior. A continuation paper will be presented with design optimization applications of this model. The structural deformation is described by an updated Lagrangean formulation. The structural response is determined by a displacement controlled continuation method. A two-node Hermitean beam element is used. The beams are made from an assembly of flat-layered laminated composite panels. Beam cross-section mass and stiffness property matrices are presented.

Design sensitivities are imbedded into the finite element modeling and assembled in order to perform the structural design sensitivity analysis. The adjoint structure method is used. The lamina orientation and the laminate thickness are selected as the design variables. Displacement, failure index, critical load and natural frequency are considered as performance measures. The critical load constraint calculated as the limit point of the nonlinear response is also considered, but a new method is proposed, replacing it by a displacement constraint.     

Unification of parametric and implicit methods for shape sensitivity analysis and optimization with fixed mesh

Parametric and implicit methods are traditionally thought to be two irrelevant approaches in structural shape optimization. Parametric method works as a Lagrangian approach and often uses the parametric boundary representation (B‐rep) of curves/surfaces, for example, Bezier and B‐splines in combination with the conformal mesh of a finite element model, while implicit method relies upon level‐set functions, that is, implicit functions for B‐rep, and works as an Eulerian approach in combination with the fixed mesh within the scope of extended finite element method or finite cell method. The original contribution of this work is the unification of both methods. First, a new shape optimization method is proposed by combining the features of the parametric and implicit B‐reps. Shape changes of the structural boundary are governed by parametric B‐rep on the fixed mesh to maintain the merit in computer‐aided design modeling and avoid laborious remeshing. Second, analytical shape design sensitivity is formulated for the parametric B‐rep in the framework of fixed mesh of finite cell method by means of the Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Numerical examples are solved to illustrate the unified methodology. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A modified extended finite element method approach for design sensitivity analysis

This paper describes a modified extended finite element method (XFEM) approach, which is designed to ease the challenge of an analytical design sensitivity analysis in the framework of structural optimisation. This novel formulation, furthermore labelled YFEM, combines the well‐known XFEM enhancement functions with a local sub‐meshing strategy using standard finite elements. It deviates slightly from the XFEM path only at one significant point but thus allows to use already derived residual vectors as well as stiffness and pseudo load matrices to assemble the desired information on cut elements without tedious and error‐prone re‐work of already performed derivations and implementations. The strategy is applied to sensitivity analysis of interface problems combining areas with different linear elastic material properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post optimization for accurate and efficient reliability‐based design optimization using second‐order reliability method based on importance sampling and its stochastic sensitivity analysis

In this study, a post optimization technique for a correction of inaccurate optimum obtained using first‐order reliability method (FORM) is proposed for accurate reliability‐based design optimization (RBDO). In the proposed method, RBDO using FORM is first performed, and then the proposed second‐order reliability method (SORM) is performed at the optimum obtained using FORM for more accurate reliability assessment and its sensitivity analysis. In the proposed SORM, the Hessian of a performance function is approximated by reusing derivatives information accumulated during previous RBDO iterations using FORM, indicating that additional functional evaluations are not required in the proposed SORM. The proposed SORM calculates a probability of failure and its first‐order and second‐order stochastic sensitivity by applying the importance sampling to a complete second‐order Taylor series of the performance function. The proposed post optimization constructs a second‐order Taylor expansion of the probability of failure using results of the proposed SORM. Because the constructed Taylor expansion is based on the reliability method more accurate than FORM, the corrected optimum using this Taylor expansion can satisfy the target reliability more accurately. In this way, the proposed method simultaneously achieves both efficiency of FORM and accuracy of SORM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shape design sensitivity analysis via material derivative-adjoint variable technique for 3-D and 2-D curved boundary elements

A general approach to shape design sensitivity analysis of three- and two-dimensional elastic solid objects is developed using the material derivative-adjoint variable technique and boundary element method. The formulation of the problem is general and first-order sensitivities in the form of boundary integrals for the effect of boundary shape variations are derived for an arbitrary performance functional. Second-order quadrilateral surface elements (for 3-D problems) and quadratic boundary elements (for 2-D problems) are employed in the solution of primary and adjoint systems and discretization of the boundary integral expressions for sensitivities. The accuracy of sensitivity information is studied for selected global performance functionals and also for boundary state fields at discrete points. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of this approach.     

A continuum approach for second-order shape design sensitivity of elastic solids with loaded boundaries

A second-order shape design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method applicable to the shape change on the loaded boundaries is derived for three-dimensional linear elastic solids using a continuum method with the material derivative. The continuum method is also used to derive mixed second-order variations of stress and displacement performance measures with respect to shape design variables and distribution of non-conservative traction loads, and also with respect to shape design variables and material properties. A shape design acceleration field is defined for the second-order shape design sensitivity. Both direct differentiation and hybrid methods are presented in this paper. A numerical method, which can be implemented using established finite element analysis (FEA) codes, is developed. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed second-order shape DSA method has been demonstrated by solving a structural example-doubly curved arch dam.