A method for topology optimization of structures under harmonic excitations

This paper deals with topology optimization of large-scale structures with proportional damping subjected to harmonic excitations. A combined method (CM) of modal superposition with model order reduction (MOR) for harmonic response analysis is introduced. In the method, only the modes corresponding to a frequency range which is a little bigger than that of interest are used for modal superposition, the contribution of unknown higher modes is complemented by a MOR technique. Objective functions are the integral of dynamic compliance of a structure, and that of displacement amplitude of a certain user-defined degree of freedom in the structure, over a range of interested frequencies. The adjoint variable method is applied to analyze sensitivities of objective functions and the accuracy of the sensitivity analyses can also be ensured by CM. Topology optimization procedure is illustrated by three examples. It is shown that the topology optimization based on CM not only remarkably reduce CPU time, but also ensure accuracy of results.     

Structural topology optimization under harmonic base acceleration excitations

This work is focused on the structural topology optimization methods related to dynamic responses under harmonic base acceleration excitations. The uniform acceleration input model is chosen to be the input form of base excitations. In the dynamic response analysis, we propose using the large mass method (LMM) in which artificial large mass values are attributed to each driven nodal degree of freedom (DOF), which can thus transform the base acceleration excitations into force excitations. Mode displacement method (MDM) and mode acceleration method (MAM) are then used to calculate the harmonic responses and the design sensitivities due to their balances between computing efficiency and accuracy especially when frequency bands are taken into account. A density based topology optimization method of minimizing dynamic responses is then formulated based on the integration of LMM and MDM or MAM. Moreover, some particular appearances such as the precision of response analysis using MDM or MAM, and the duplicated frequencies are briefly discussed. Numerical examples are finally tested to verify the accuracy of the proposed schemes in dynamic response analysis and the quality of the optimized design in improving dynamic performances.     

Nonlinear topology optimization of layered shell structures

Topology stiffness (compliance) design of linear and geometrically nonlinear shell structures is solved using the SIMP approach together with a filtering scheme. A general anisotropic multi-layer shell model is employed to allow the formation of through-the-thickness holes or stiffening zones. The finite element analysis is performed using nine-node Mindlin-type shell elements based on the degenerated shell approach, which are capable of modeling both single and multi-layered structures exhibiting anisotropic or isotropic behavior. The optimization problem is solved using analytical compliance and constraint sensitivities together with the Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA). Geometrically nonlinear problems are solved using iterative Newton–Raphson methods and an adjoint variable approach is used for the sensitivity analysis. Several benchmark tests are presented in order to illustrate the difference in optimal topologies between linear and geometrically nonlinear shell structures.     

Integrated layout and topology optimization design of multi-component systems under harmonic base acceleration excitations

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - The integrated optimization of component layout and structural topology is studied in this paper to improve the dynamic performance of the...     

The approximate reanalysis method for topology optimization under harmonic force excitations with multiple frequencies

In mode acceleration method for topology optimization related harmonic response with multiple frequencies, most of the computation effort is invested in the solution of the eigen-problem. This paper is focused on reduction of the computational effort in repeated solution of the eigen-problem involved in mode acceleration method. The block combined approximation with shifting method is adopted for eigen-problem reanalysis, which simultaneously calculates some eigenpairs of modified structures. The triangular factorizations of shifted stiffness matrices generated within a certain number of design iterations are utilized to calculate the modes. For improving computational efficiency, Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) are utilized. The reanalysis method is based on matrix-matrix operations with Level-3 BLAS and can provide very fast development of approximate solutions of high quality for frequencies and associated mode shapes of the modified structure. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed topology optimization procedure and the accuracy of the approximate solutions.     

A comparative study of dynamic analysis methods for structural topology optimization under harmonic force excitations

This work is focused on the topology optimization related to harmonic responses for large-scale problems. A comparative study is made among mode displacement method (MDM), mode acceleration method (MAM) and full method (FM) to highlight their effectiveness. It is found that the MDM results in the unsatisfactory convergence due to the low accuracy of harmonic responses, while MAM and FM have a good accuracy and evidently favor the optimization convergence. Especially, the FM is of superiority in both accuracy and efficiency under the excitation at one specific frequency; MAM is preferable due to its balance between the computing efficiency and accuracy when multiple excitation frequencies are taken into account.     

Simultaneous shape and topology optimization of shell structures

In this research, Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) is utilized for simultaneous shape and topology optimization of shell structures. It is shown that this approach is well matched with the large number of topology and shape design variables. The currently practiced technology for optimization is to find the topology first and then to refine the shape of structure. In this paper, the design parameters of shape and topology are optimized simultaneously in one go. In order to model and control the shape of free form shells, the NURBS (Non Uniform Rational B-Spline) technology is used. The optimization problem is considered as the minimization of mean compliance with the total material volume as active constraint and taking the shape and topology parameters as design variables. The material model employed for topology optimization is assumed to be the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP). Since the MMA optimization method requires derivatives of the objective function and the volume constraint with respect to the design variables, a sensitivity analysis is performed. Also, for alleviation of the instabilities such as mesh dependency and checkerboarding the convolution noise cleaning technique is employed. Finally, few examples taken from literature are presented to demonstrate the performance of the method and to study the effect of the proposed concurrent approach on the optimal design in comparison to the sequential topology and shape optimization methods.     

Robust topology optimization for dynamic compliance minimization under uncertain harmonic excitations with inhomogeneous eigenvalue analysis

Variability of load magnitude/direction is a most significant source of uncertainties in practical engineering. This paper investigates robust topology optimization of structures subjected to uncertain dynamic excitations. The unknown-but-bounded dynamic loads/accelerations are described with the non-probabilistic ellipsoid convex model. The aim of the optimization problem is to minimize the absolute dynamic compliance for the worst-case loading condition. For this purpose, a generalized compliance matrix is defined to construct the objective function. To find the optimal structural layout under uncertain dynamic excitations, we first formulate the robust topology optimization problem into a nested double-loop one. Here, the inner-loop aims to seek the worst-case combination of the excitations (which depends on the current design, and is usually to be found by a global optimization algorithm), and the outer-loop optimizes the structural topology under the found worst-case excitation. To tackle the inherent difficulties associated with such an originally nested formulation, we convert the inner-loop into an inhomogeneous eigenvalue problem using the optimality condition. Thus the double-loop problem is reformulated into an equivalent single-loop one. This formulation ensures that the strict-sense worst-case combination of the uncertain excitations for each intermediate design be located without resorting to a time-consuming global search algorithm. The sensitivity analysis of the worst-case objective function value is derived with the adjoint variable method, and then the optimization problem is solved by a gradient-based mathematical programming method. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework.     

Constrained adaptive topology optimization for vibrating shell structures

This paper describes an algorithm for structural topology optimization entitled Constrained Adaptive Topology Optimization or CATO which is applied here to produce the optimum design of shell structures under free vibration conditions. The algorithm, based on an artificial material model and an updating scheme, combines ideas from the more mathematically rigorous homogenization (h) methods and the more intuitive evolutionary (e) methods. Thus, CATO can be seen as a hybrid h/e method. The optimization problem is defined as maximizing or minimizing a chosen frequency with a constraint on the structural volume/mass by redistributing the material through the structure. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is illustrated through several numerical examples. Received February 17, 2000     

A level set topology optimization method for the buckling of shell structures

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - Shell structures are some of the most widely used in engineering applications. Flat plates, stiffened panels, and wing ribs are each examples of...     

Topology optimization of nonlinear structures with damping under arbitrary dynamic loading

This study presents an extended unit load method in which the displacement of a chosen degree of freedom (DOF) in a nonlinear structure under arbitrary dynamic loading is expressed as an integration of mutual strain energy density over a continuum domain. This new integral formulation for the displacement of a chosen DOF is developed by using the virtual work principle and can be used for linear or nonlinear structural behaviours. The integral form of the displacement is then used to develop new formulations for structural topology optimization involving arbitrary dynamic loading using the moving iso-surface threshold (MIST) method. Presented are two specific topology optimization problems with two objective functions: (a) to minimize the peak of a chosen displacement; or (b) to minimize the average power spectral density (PSD) of the chosen displacement over a finite time interval. New MIST formulations and algorithms are developed for solving two damping topology optimization problems of a structure under arbitrary dynamic loading, with or without large displacements, and having cellular damping materials with multi-volume fractions. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the presented unit load method and the MIST formulations and algorithms.     

Stress-constrained topology optimization of continuum structures subjected to harmonic force excitation using sequential quadratic programming

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - In this paper, we propose a method for stress-constrained topology optimization of continuum structure sustaining harmonic load excitation using the...     

Evolutionary topology optimization of elastoplastic structures

We have recently proposed in (Fritzen et al., Int J Numer Methods Eng 106(6):430–453, 2016) an evolutionary topology optimization model for the design of multiscale elastoplastic structures, which is in general independent of the applied material law. Facing the variability of the final design for minor parameter changes when dealing with plastic structural designs, we further improve the robustness and the effectiveness of the BESO optimization procedure in this work by introducing a damping scheme on sensitivity numbers and by progressively reducing the sensitivity filtering radius. The damping scheme constraining the variance of the sensitivity numbers stabilizes the topological evolution process in particular for dissipative structural designs. By setting initially a large filter radius value and reducing it gradually, the emergence of the redundant structural branches, which are to be eliminated afterwards and are the main reasons deteriorating the design process, could be avoided. The robustness and the effectiveness of the improved model has been validated by means of benchmark numerical examples of conventional homogeneous structures.     

Adaptive topology optimization of elastoplastic structures

Material topology optimization is applied to determine the basic layout of a structure. The nonlinear structural response, e.g. buckling or plasticity, must be considered in order to generate a reliable design by structural optimization. In the present paper adaptive material topology optimization is extended to elastoplasticity. The objective of the design problem is to maximize the structural ductility which is defined by the integral of the strain energy over a given range of a prescribed displacement. The mass in the design space is prescribed. The design variables are the densities of the finite elements. The optimization problem is solved by a gradient based OC algorithm. An elastoplastic von Mises material with linear, isotropic work-hardening/softening for small strains is used. A geometrically adaptive optimization procedure is applied in order to avoid artificial stress singularities and to increase the numerical efficiency of the optimization process. The geometric parametrization of the design model is adapted during the optimization process. Elastoplastic structural analysis is outlined. An efficient algorithm is introduced to determine the gradient of the ductility with respect to the densities of the finite elements. The overall optimization procedure is presented and verified with design problems for plane stress conditions.     

On simultaneous shape and material layout optimization of shell structures

This work presents a computational method for integrated shape and topology optimization of shell structures. Most research in the last decades considered both optimization techniques separately, seeking an initial optimal topology and refining the shape of the solution later. The method implemented in this work uses a combined approach, were the shape of the shell structure and material distribution are optimized simultaneously. This formulation involves a variable ground structure for topology optimization, since the shape of the shell mid-plane is modified in the course of the process. It was considered a simple type of design problem, where the optimization goal is to minimize the compliance with respect to the variables that control the shape, material fraction and orientation, subjected to a constraint on the total volume of material. The topology design problem has been formulated introducing a second rank layered microestructure, where material properties are computed by a “smear-out” procedure. The method has been implemented into a general optimization software called ODESSY, developed at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering in Aalborg. The computational model was tested in several numerical applications to illustrate and validate the approach.     

Robust topology optimization of frame structures under geometric or material properties uncertainties

A robust topology optimization algorithm is proposed for frame structures in the presence of geometric or material properties uncertainties. While geometric uncertainties were modeled with uncorrelated random variables expressing the node locations of the structure, material properties uncertainties were modeled with a correlated random field of the material Young’s modulus with an exponentially decaying correlation structure throughout the domain. The proposed algorithm uses stochastic perturbation method for propagating these uncertainties to the structural response level, measured in terms of compliance, and optimizes the expected value plus multiple factors of the standard deviation of the response. A comparison between the resulting robust designs and deterministic designs is made, and changes to the final topologies are discussed. Moreover, using Monte Carlo simulation, it was shown that the robust designs outperform the deterministic designs under real-world situations that are accompanied with uncertainties.     

Design of energy dissipating elastoplastic structures under cyclic loads using topology optimization

A topology optimization approach for designing structures with maximum energy absorption capacity under cyclic loads is proposed. To simulate the Bauschinger effect in materials under cyclic loads, Prager and the Armstrong-Frederick kinematic hardening rules are considered together with the von Mises plasticity in the optimization process. Path-dependent sensitivities are derived analytically using the adjoint method, which are further verified by the central difference method. Effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on several examples. Results show that the optimized designs with kinematic hardening are remarkably different from the ones obtained with isotropic hardening and are highly dependent on the loading patterns.     

Concurrent topology optimization of multiscale composite structures in Matlab

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - This paper presents the compact and efficient Matlab codes for the concurrent topology optimization of multiscale composite structures not only in 2D...     

Stress-based design of thermal structures via topology optimization

The design of thermal structures in the aerospace industry, including exhaust structures on embedded engine aircraft and hypersonic thermal protection systems, poses a number of complex design challenges. These challenges are particularly well addressed by the material layout capabilities of structural topology optimization; however, no topology optimization methods are readily available with the necessary thermoelastic considerations for these problems. This is due in large part to the emphasis on cases of maximum stiffness design for structures subjected to externally applied mechanical loads in the majority of topology optimization applications. In addition, while limited work in the literature has investigated thermoelastic topology optimization, a direct treatment of thermal stresses is not well documented. Such a treatment is critical in the design of thermal structures where excessive thermal stresses are a primary failure mode. In this paper, we present a method for the topology optimization of structures with combined mechanical and thermoelastic (temperature) loads that are subject to stress constraints. We present the necessary steps needed to address both the design-dependent thermal loads and accommodate the challenges of stress-based design criteria. A relaxation technique is utilized to remove the singularity phenomenon in stresses and the large number of stress constraints is handled using a scaled aggregation technique that has been shown previously to satisfy prescribed stress limits in mechanical problems. Finally, the stress-based thermoelastic formulation is applied to two numerical example problems to demonstrate its effectiveness.