Sensitivity analysis of heat conduction for functionally graded materials

A sensitivity analysis is presented for the steady-state and transient heat conduction of functionally graded materials (FGMs). Based on the finite element method, the sensitivity equations of heat conduction are presented by using the direct method and the adjoint method. In the solution of transient problem, the precise time integration (PTI) is employed. The spatial volume fractions of materials of FGM (size problem) and the shape design parameters are considered. Detailed formulations especial for the FGMs are provided. The numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the precision and applicability of the proposed method.     

Sensitivity analysis and design optimization of three‐dimensional non‐linear aeroelastic systems by the adjoint method

We consider the problem of optimizing a non‐linear aeroelastic system in steady‐state conditions, where the structure is represented by a detailed finite element model, and the aerodynamic loads are predicted by the discretization of the non‐linear Euler equations. We present a solution method for this problem that is based on the three‐field formulation of fluid–structure interaction problems, and the adjoint approach for coupled sensitivity analysis. We discuss the computational complexity of the proposed solution method, describe its implementation on parallel processors, and illustrate its computational efficiency with the aeroelastic optimization of various wings. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time‐step constraints in transient coupled finite element analysis

In transient finite element analysis, reducing the time‐step size improves the accuracy of the solution. However, a lower bound to the time‐step size exists, below which the solution may exhibit spatial oscillations at the initial stages of the analysis. This numerical ‘shock’ problem may lead to accumulated errors in coupled analyses. To satisfy the non‐oscillatory criterion, a novel analytical approach is presented in this paper to obtain the time‐step constraints using the θ‐method for the transient coupled analysis, including both heat conduction–convection and coupled consolidation analyses. The expressions of the minimum time‐step size for heat conduction–convection problems with both linear and quadratic elements reduce to those applicable to heat conduction problems if the effect of heat convection is not taken into account. For coupled consolidation analysis, time‐step constraints are obtained for three different types of elements, and the one for composite elements matches that in the literature. Finally, recommendations on how to handle the numerical ‘shock’ issues are suggested. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-material topology optimization for the transient heat conduction problem using a sequential quadratic programming algorithm

Transient heat conduction analysis involves extensive computational cost. It becomes more serious for multi-material topology optimization, in which many design variables are involved and hundreds of iterations are usually required for convergence. This article aims to provide an efficient quadratic approximation for multi-material topology optimization of transient heat conduction problems. Reciprocal-type variables, instead of relative densities, are introduced as design variables. The sequential quadratic programming approach with explicit Hessians can be utilized as the optimizer for the computationally demanding optimization problem, by setting up a sequence of quadratic programs, in which the thermal compliance and weight can be explicitly approximated by the first and second order Taylor series expansion in terms of design variables. Numerical examples show clearly that the present approach can achieve better performance in terms of computational efficiency and iteration number than the solid isotropic material with penalization method solved by the commonly used method of moving asymptotes. In addition, a more lightweight design can be achieved by using multi-phase materials for the transient heat conductive problem, which demonstrates the necessity for multi-material topology optimization.     

Thermal flutter analysis of large‐scale space structures based on finite element method

During the orbital day–night crossing period, the suddenly applied thermal loading is apt to introducing vibration on flexible appendages of large‐scale space structures. This kind of thermally‐induced vibration is a typical failure of modern spacecrafts. However, owing to the complexity of this problem, many earlier researches study only the vibration of simplified beam models, which can hardly describe the performance of practical structures. This paper aims at using the finite element method to analyse the non‐linear vibration of practical thin‐walled large‐scale space structures subjected to suddenly applied thermal loading. In this study, the coupling effect between structural deformations and the incident normal solar heat flux is considered; the necessary condition of thermally‐induced vibration is verified; and the criterion of thermal flutter is established. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shape sensitivity analysis of magnetic forces

This paper presents a shape sensitivity analysis of magnetic forces evaluated using the Maxwell stress tensor and the finite element method. The formulation is based upon a discrete approach which takes the analytical derivatives of the finite element equations with respect to the shape variables and also on the adjoint variable method in order to carry out the derivation procedure. Sensitivity analysis is developed in the context of the axisymmetrical nonlinear magnetostatic field problem with a modified magnetic vector potential as state variable. Numerical results are presented to validate this methodology. Shape sensitivity analysis is then applied to the optimization of the force-displacement characteristic of a linear actuator. A sequential quadratic programming method is used in the optimization process     

Multimaterial topology design for optimal elastic and thermal response with material-specific temperature constraints

We present an original method for multimaterial topology optimization with elastic and thermal response considerations. The material distribution is represented parametrically using a formulation in which finite element–style shape functions are used to determine the local material properties within each finite element. We optimize a multifunctional structure that is designed for a combination of structural stiffness and thermal insulation. We conduct parallel uncoupled finite element analyses to simulate the elastic and thermal response of the structure by solving the two-dimensional Poisson problem. We explore multiple optimization problem formulations, including structural design for minimum compliance subject to local temperature constraints so that the optimized design serves as both a support structure and a thermal insulator. We also derive and implement an original multimaterial aggregation function that allows the designer to simultaneously enforce separate maximum temperature thresholds based upon the melting point of the various design materials. The nonlinear programming problem is solved using gradient-based optimization with adjoint sensitivity analysis. We present results for a series of two-dimensional example problems. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm consistently converges to feasible multimaterial designs with the desired elastic and thermal performance.     

Two kinds of tube elements for transient thermal–structural analysis of large space structures

Two kinds of thin‐walled tube elements are presented for transient thermal–structural analysis of large space structures by the finite element method. Not only the average temperature, but also the perturbation temperature in the cross‐section of the tube is considered in the present elements. These two temperatures are decoupled in the deduction about the new elements and the non‐linear analysis is restricted to solving the equations of average temperature. Therefore, the magnitude of the non‐linear analysis can be reduced by the presented method. The main difference between the two kinds of thin‐walled tube elements is in the shape functions of the temperature along the circumference of cross‐section. Corresponding to the transient temperature field, quasistatic thermo‐elastic analysis is also introduced. Three examples are shown and the effectiveness of the new elements is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transient non‐linear heat conduction–radiation problems—a boundary element formulation

A novel boundary‐only formulation for transient temperature fields in bodies of non‐linear material properties and arbitrary non‐linear boundary conditions has been developed. The option for self‐irradiating boundaries has been included in the formulation. Heat conduction equation has been partially linearized by Kirchhoff's transformation. The result has been discretized by the dual reciprocity boundary element method. The integral equation of heat radiation has been discretized by the standard boundary element method. The coupling of the resulting two sets of equations has been accomplished by static condensation of the radiative heat fluxes arising in both sets. The final set of ordinary differential equations has been solved using the Runge–Kutta solver with automatic time step adjustment. The algorithm proved to be robust and stable. Numerical examples are included. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NUMERICAL STUDIES OF THE THERMAL DESIGN SENSITIVITY CALCULATION FOR A REACTION-DIFFUSION SYSTEM WITH DISCONTINUOUS DERIVATIVES

The aim of this study is to find a reliable numerical algorithm to calculate thermal design sensitivities of a transient problem with discontinuous derivatives. The thermal system of interest is a transient heat conduction problem related to the curing process of a composite laminate. A logical function which can smoothly approximate the discontinuity is introduced to modify the system equation. Two commonly used methods, the adjoint variable method and the direct differentiation method, are then applied to find the design derivatives of the modified system. The comparisons of numerical results obtained by these two methods demonstrate that the direct differentiation method is a better choice to be used in calculating thermal design sensitivity.     

Computational techniques for optimization of problems involving non‐linear transient simulations

Many optimization problems in engineering require coupling a mathematical programming process to a numerical simulation. When the latter is non‐linear, the resulting computer time may become unaffordably large because three sequential procedures are nested: the outer loop is associated to the optimization process, the middle one corresponds to the time marching scheme and the innermost loop is required for solving iteratively the non‐linear system of equations at each time step. We propose four techniques for reducing CPU time. First, derive the initial values of state variables at each time (innermost loop) from those computed at the previous optimization iteration (outermost loop). Second, select time increment on the basis of those used for the previous optimization iteration. Third, define convergence criteria for the simulation problem on the basis of the optimization process, so that they are only as stringent as really needed. Finally, computations associated to the optimization are shown to be greatly reduced by adopting Newton–Raphson, or a variant, for solving the simulation problem. The effectiveness of these techniques is illustrated through application to three examples involving automatic calibration of non‐linear groundwater flow problems. The total number of iterations is reduced by a factor ranging between 1·7 and 4·6. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topology optimization for unsteady flow

A computational methodology for optimizing the conceptual layout of unsteady flow problems at low Reynolds numbers is presented. The geometry of the design is described by the spatial distribution of a fictitious material with continuously varying porosity. The flow is predicted by a stabilized finite element formulation of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. A Brinkman penalization is used to enforce zero‐velocities in solid material. The resulting parameter optimization problem is solved by a non‐linear programming method. The paper studies the feasibility of the material interpolation approach for optimizing the topology of unsteady flow problems. The derivation of the governing equations and the adjoint sensitivity analysis are presented. A design‐dependent stabilization scheme is introduced to mitigate numerical instabilities in porous material. The emergence of non‐physical artifacts in the optimized material distribution is observed and linked to an insufficient resolution of the flow field and an improper representation of the pressure field within solid material by the Brinkman penalization. Two numerical examples demonstrate that the designs optimized for unsteady flow differ significantly from their steady‐state counterparts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A finite difference solution of non‐linear systems of radiative–conductive heat transfer equations

A finite difference solution for a system of non‐linear integro–differential equations modelling the steady‐state combined radiative–conductive heat transfer is proposed. A new backward–forward finite difference scheme is formulated for the Radiative Transfer Equation. The non‐linear heat conduction equation is solved using the Kirchhoff transformation associated with a centred finite difference scheme. The coupled system of equations is solved using a fixed‐point method, which relates to the temperature field. An application on a real insulator composed of silica fibres is illustrated. The results show that the method is very efficient. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

热弹耦合梁结构动力响应的区间数值分析

研究了含有区间参数梁结构在温度载荷和力载荷共同作用下的动力响应问题,考虑材料变形与传热的相互影响,建立了梁在热弹耦合下的动力学有限元模型,并给出了对结构瞬态热传导方程与动力学方程进行相互交替迭代求解的计算方法。针对结构响应不确定性问题,以不确定参数作为约束变量,通过寻求结构响应函数的区间范围,将区间问题转化为优化问题,并利用遗传算法给出了结构响应函数的区间界限。通过算例及与概率有限元方法的计算结果比较,表明文中所提出方法的可行性和有效性,并获得在热弹耦合作用下梁结构的固有振动频率有所增加,而振动响应振幅则逐渐减弱的结论。该方法只需已知不确定参数所在范围的界限,而无需其他统计信息,为解决区间参数热弹耦合梁问题提供了一种途径。     

A FETI‐based domain decomposition technique for time‐dependent first‐order systems based on a DAE approach

We present a novel partitioned coupling algorithm to solve first‐order time‐dependent non‐linear problems (e.g. transient heat conduction). The spatial domain is partitioned into a set of totally disconnected subdomains. The continuity conditions at the interface are modeled using a dual Schur formulation where the Lagrange multipliers represent the interface fluxes (or the reaction forces) that are required to maintain the continuity conditions. The interface equations along with the subdomain equations lead to a system of differential algebraic equations (DAEs). For the resulting equations a numerical algorithm is developed, which includes choosing appropriate constraint stabilization techniques. The algorithm first solves for the interface Lagrange multipliers, which are subsequently used to advance the solution in the subdomains. The proposed coupling algorithm enables arbitrary numeric schemes to be coupled with different time steps (i.e. it allows subcycling) in each subdomain. This implies that existing software and numerical techniques can be used to solve each subdomain separately. The coupling algorithm can also be applied to multiple subdomains and is suitable for parallel computers. We present examples showing the feasibility of the proposed coupling algorithm. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topology optimization of multi-material for the heat conduction problem based on the level set method

This article presents a numerical approach of topology optimization with multiple materials for the heat conduction problem. The multiphase level set model is used to implicitly describe the geometric boundaries of material regions with different conductivities. The model of multi-material representation has no emergence of the intermediate density. The optimization objective is to construct the optimal heat conductive paths which improve the efficiency of heat transfer. The dissipation of thermal transport potential capacity is taken as the objective function. The sensitivity analysis is implemented by the adjoint variable method, which is the foundation of constructing the velocity field of the level set equation. The optimal result is gradually realized by the evolution of multi-material boundaries, and the topological changes are naturally handled during the optimization process. Finally, the numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed method for topology optimization of the heat conduction problem.     

Non‐linear random response of laminated composite shallow shells using finite element modal method

This paper investigates the large‐amplitude multi‐mode random response of thin shallow shells with rectangular planform at elevated temperatures using a finite element non‐linear modal formulation. A thin laminated composite shallow shell element and the system equations of motion are developed. The system equations in structural node degrees‐of‐freedom (DOF) are transformed into modal co‐ordinates, and the non‐linear stiffness matrices are transformed into non‐linear modal stiffness matrices. The number of modal equations is much smaller than the number of equations in structural node DOF. A numerical integration is employed to determine the random response. Thermal buckling deflections are obtained to explain the intermittent snap‐through phenomenon. The natural frequencies of the infinitesimal vibration about the thermally buckled equilibrium positions (BEPs) are studied, and it is found that there is great difference between the frequencies about the primary (positive) and the secondary (negative) BEPs. All three types of motion: (i) linear random vibration about the primary BEP, (ii) intermittent snap‐through between the two BEPs, and (iii) non‐linear large‐amplitude random vibration over the two BEPs, can be predicted. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design sensitivity analysis and optimization of non‐linear transient dynamics. Part I—sizing design

A continuum‐based sizing design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method is presented for the transient dynamic response of non‐linear structural systems with elastic–plastic material and large deformation. The methodology is aimed for applications in non‐linear dynamic problems, such as crashworthiness design. The first‐order variations of the energy forms, load form, and kinematic and structural responses with respect to sizing design variables are derived. To obtain design sensitivities, the direct differentiation method and updated Lagrangian formulation are used since they are more appropriate for the path‐dependent problems than the adjoint variable method and the total Lagrangian formulation, respectively. The central difference method and the finite element method are used to discretize the temporal and spatial domains, respectively. The Hughes–Liu truss/beam element, Jaumann rate of Cauchy stress, rate of deformation tensor, and Jaumann rate‐based incrementally objective stress integration scheme are used to handle the finite strain and rotation. An elastic–plastic material model with combined isotropic/kinematic hardening rule is employed. A key development is to use the radial return algorithm along with the secant iteration method to enforce the consistency condition that prevents the discontinuity of stress sensitivities at the yield point. Numerical results of sizing DSA using DYNA3D yield very good agreement with the finite difference results. Design optimization is carried out using the design sensitivity information. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

精密离心机热变形多物理场耦合数值计算

离心机是惯性导航系统加速度计的标定设备,转盘变形将严重影响标定精度.综合考虑离心机机室内空气流动、流动传热以及机箱和转盘的导热,结合CFD和FEM方法,对精密离心机的热变形进行流-热-固多场耦合计算.分析了多物理场耦合计算原理,采用流固耦合换热整场求解法计算离心机温度场,采用顺序耦合法计算转盘热变形.计算结果表明:在300r/min转速下,转盘最大温升为1.23℃;越远离转盘中心,温升越大;加速度计安装位置的温度计算值与实测值一致,验证了本方法的正确性;转盘安装加速度计位置的径向热变形为7.89μm,热变形是变形累积的结果且随着转盘转速增加而增大.     

Adaptive methods for thermomechanical coupled contact problems

In this paper an adaptive method for the analysis of thermomechanical coupled multi‐body contact problems is presented. The method is applied to non‐linear elastic solids undergoing finite (thermal) deformations. The contact model considers non‐linear pressure‐dependent heat flux as well as frictional heating in the interface. A time–space‐finite element discretization of the governing equations is formulated including unilateral constraints due to contact. A staggered solution algorithm has been constructed that allows an independent spatial discretization of the coupled subproblems. A posteriori projection‐based error estimators, which enforce implicitly the special boundary conditions due to thermal contact, are used to control the spatial discretization as well as the adaptive time stepping. Numerical examples are presented to corroborate the applicability of the adaptive algorithm to the considered problem type. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.