Optimal design of periodic structures using evolutionary topology optimization

This paper presents a method for topology optimization of periodic structures using the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) technique. To satisfy the periodic constraint, the designable domain is divided into a certain number of identical unit cells. The optimal topology of the unit cell is determined by gradually removing and adding material based on a sensitivity analysis. Sensitivity numbers that consider the periodic constraint for the repetitive elements are developed. To demonstrate the capability and effectiveness of the proposed approach, topology design problems of 2D and 3D periodic structures are investigated. The results indicate that the optimal topology depends, to a great extent, on the defined unit cells and on the relative strength of other non-designable part, such as the skins of sandwich structures.     

Optimal topology design of structures under dynamic loads

When elastic structures are subjected to dynamic loads, a propagation problem is considered to predict structural transient response. To achieve better dynamic performance, it is important to establish an optimum structural design method. Previous work focused on minimizing the structural weight subject to dynamic constraints on displacement, stress, frequency, and member size. Even though these methods made it possible to obtain the optimal size and shape of a structure, it is necessary to obtain an optimal topology for a truly optimal design. In this paper, the homogenization design method is utilized to generate the optimal topology for structures and an explicit direct integration scheme is employed to solve the linear transient problems. The optimization problem is formulated to find the best configuration of structures that minimizes the dynamic compliance within a specified time interval. Examples demonstrate that the homogenization design method can be extended to the optimal topology design method of structures under impact loads.Presented at WCSMO-2, held in Zakopane, Poland, 1997     

Optimal topology design of discrete structures resisting degradation effects

In this technical note we treat the problem of finding the optimal topology of a truss, so that stiffness after degradation is maximized. It is shown that for the problem setting at hand, the optimal topology has uniform relative degradation in all bars and the topology is unchanged from the topology for a truss not undergoing degradation. As is well-known such a design can be realized as a fully stressed, statically determinate truss.     

Three-dimensional topology design of structures using crystal models

The present paper introduces structural models based on the theory of microstructures. Their elements are derived from interatomic bonding and lattice geometry. The transformation from microstructures to macrostructures allows for the use of the well-known three-dimensional truss and solid finite elements, respectively. The model of the structure built from “crystals” is specific and suitable for topology design. Evolutionary procedure is used for optimization. Examples of maximum stiffness topology design document this new approach, recently developed by the author.     

Optimal design for non-Newtonian flows using a topology optimization approach

We study non-Newtonian effects on the layout and geometry of flow channels using a material distribution based topology optimization approach. The flow is modeled with the single-relaxation hydrodynamic lattice Boltzmann method, and the shear dependence of viscosity is included through the Carreau–Yasuda model for non-Newtonian fluids. To represent the viscosity of blood in this model, we use non-Newtonian similarity. Further, we introduce a scaling to decrease the effects of the non-Newtonian model in porous regions in order to stabilize the coupling of the LBM porosity and non-Newtonian flow models. For the resulting flow model, we derive the non-Newtonian sensitivity analysis for steady-state conditions and illustrate the non-Newtonian effect on channel layouts for a 2D dual-pipe design problem at different Reynolds numbers.     

Shape preserving design of vibrating structures using topology optimization

In several engineering components, the shape of some functional surfaces needs to be preserved in order to avoid losing performance or even its functionality when subjected to loads. This is particularly important when tight tolerances are required for operational conditions in some regions. If the deformation significantly affects product functionality, it is interesting to use a shape preserving design technique. This will often reduce deformation in a local region. To achieve that, we deal with topology optimization of elastic, continuum structures with Rayleigh damping, subjected to time-harmonic, design-independent external dynamic loading with prescribed excitation frequency, amplitude and spatial distribution. In topology optimization for vibrating structures, the obtained design should often have its resonance frequencies driven far away from the given excitation frequency in order to avoid resonance and to reduce vibration levels. In this work, we explore harmonic vibration problems with the excitation frequency lower than the first resonance frequency of the initial structure. Dynamic compliance minimization is used to improve dynamic response of the structure. An additional local dynamic compliance constraint is used to define the shape preserving problem, thus, reducing deformation in specific regions of a part named shape preserving region (SPR). A commercial FE code (ANSYS^?) is used to solve the finite element problem. The optimization Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) is used with the modified Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) material interpolation scheme. The effectiveness of this technique is presented using 2D plane structures. Coherent results were achieved using the proposed optimization formulation. It is possible to observe significant decrease on local deformation, at expense of little increase on global dynamic compliance.     

Optimal topology design for stress-isolation of soft hyperelastic composite structures under imposed boundary displacements

Soft hyperelastic composite structures that integrate soft hyperelastic material and linear elastic hard material can undergo large deformations while isolating high strain in specified locations to avoid failure. This paper presents an effective topology optimization-based methodology for seeking the optimal united layout of hyperelastic composite structures with prescribed boundary displacements and stress constraints. The optimization problem is modeled based on the power-law interpolation scheme for two candidate materials (one is soft hyperelastic material and the other is linear elastic material). The ?-relaxation technique and the enhanced aggregation method are employed to avoid stress singularity and improve the computational efficiency. Then, the topology optimization problem can be readily solved by a gradient-based mathematical programming algorithm using the adjoint variable sensitivity information. Numerical examples are given to show the importance of considering prescribed boundary displacements in the design of hyperelastic composite structures. Moreover, numerical solutions demonstrate the validity of the present model for the optimal topology design with a stress-isolated region.     

Non-newtonian laminar flow machine rotor design by using topology optimization

Flow machines are widely used in industry through devices such as hydraulic turbines and pumps. Most part of these devices work with newtonian fluids, however, there are some specific devices dedicated to work with non-newtonian fluids, such as blood pumps. The main function of a blood pump is to have a suitable hydraulic performance while maintaining good haematological compatibility which consists of avoiding hemolysis (release of hemoglobin from red blood cells) and thrombosis (clotting). However, the challenge of improving the performance of these non-newtonian fluid machines requires the solution of an inverse-based design optimization problem, in which an oriented search must be conducted to obtain the optimized design. The rotor is a main component in the non-newtonian pump and the design of rotor topology can play an important role in the pump performance and its haematological conditions. Thus, performance improvement of these devices can be achieved by using topology optimization techniques. The optimization of pump hydraulic performance can be achieved by minimizing dissipative energy and power consumption and for the improvement of the haematological conditions, it is proposed to minimize the vorticity. Thus, in this work, topology optimization techniques are applied for designing the rotor pump such that the energy dissipation, vorticity, and power consumption are minimized considering non-Newtonian fluid. A two-dimensional finite element derived for a rotating frame is applied to model the rotor flow behavior. The modeling predicts the flow field between relative two blades of a rotor without considering the influence of the volute. A modified Cross model is adopted for the non-Newtonian fluid modeling. It is assumed that the fluid is flowing an idealized porous medium subjected to a friction force, which is proportional to the fluid velocity and the inverse local permeability. A porous flow model is considered with a continuous (gray) permeability design variable for each element that defines the local permeability of the medium and allows the transition between fluid and solid property. The design optimization problem is solved by using the method of moving asymptotes (MMA). Numerical examples are presented to illustrate this methodology aiming blood pump applications. A comparison among designs obtained by considering newtonian and non-newtonian fluid is included. Finally, it is verified that an improvement of the hemolysis index can be achieved by minimizing the vorticity in the rotor.     

Parameter-free optimum design method of stiffeners on thin-walled structures

In this paper, we present a shape optimization method for designing stiffeners on thin-walled or shell structures. Solutions are proposed to deal with a stiffness maximization problem and a volume minimization problem, which are subject to a volume constraint and a compliance constraint, respectively. The boundary shapes of the stiffeners are determined under a condition where the stiffeners are movable in the in-plane direction to the surface. Both problems are formulated as distributed-parameter shape optimization problems, and the shape gradient functions are derived using a material derivative method and an adjoint variable method. The optimal free-boundary shapes of the stiffeners are obtained by applying the derived shape gradient function to the $H^{1}$ gradient method for shells, which is a parameter-free shape optimization method proposed by one of the authors. Several stiffener design examples are presented to validate the proposed method and demonstrate its practical utility.     

Shape preserving design of geometrically nonlinear structures using topology optimization

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - Subparts of load carrying structures like airplane windows or doors must be isolated from distortions and hence structural optimization needs to take...     

Optimal design of steel structures using standard sections

The problem of optimal structural design having linked discrete variables is addressed. For such applications, when a discrete value for a variable is selected, values for other variables linked to it must also be selected from a table. The design of steel structures using available sections is a major application area of such problems. Three strategies that combine a continuous variable optimization method with a genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and branch and bound method are presented and implemented into a computer program for their numerical evaluation. Three structural design problems are solved to study the performance of the proposed methods. CPU times for solution of the problems with discrete variables are large. Strategies are suggested to reduce these times.     

Optimal design of truss structures using parallel computing

Parallel design optimization of large structural systems calls for a multilevel approach to the optimization problem. The general optimization problem is decomposed into a number of non-interacting suboptimization problems on the first level. They are controlled from the second level through coordination variables. Thus, the solutions of the independent first-level subsystems are directed towards the overall system optimum. In the present paper, optimal design of truss structures using parallel computing technique is described. In this method, optimization of a large truss structure has been carried out by decomposing the structure into sub-domains and suboptimization tasks. Each sub-domain has independent design variables and a small number of behaviour constraints. The two-level sub-domain optimum design approach is summarized by several numerical examples with speedups and efficiencies of algorithms on message passing systems. It has been noticed that the efficiency of the algorithm for design optimization increases with the size of the structure.     

Optimal design of truss structures using ant algorithm

An ant algorithm, consisting of the Ant System and API (after “apicalis” in Pachycondyla apicalis) algorithms, was proposed in this study to find optimal truss structures to achieve minimum weight objective under stress, deflection, and kinematic stability constraints. A two-stage approach was adopted in this study; first, the topology of the truss structure was optimized from a given ground structure employing the Ant System algorithm due to its discrete characteristic, and then the size and/or shape of member was optimized utilizing the API algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed ant algorithm was evaluated through numerous different 2-D and 3-D truss-structure problems. The proposed algorithm was observed to find truss structures better than those reported in the literature. Moreover, multiple different truss topologies with almost equal overall weights can be found simultaneously.     

Compliant mechanism design using multi-objective topology optimization scheme of continuum structures

Topology optimization problems for compliant mechanisms using a density interpolation scheme, the rational approximation of material properties (RAMP) method, and a globally convergent version of the method of moving asymptotes (GCMMA) are primarily discussed. First, a new multi-objective formulation is proposed for topology optimization of compliant mechanisms, in which the maximization of mutual energy (flexibility) and the minimization of mean compliance (stiffness) are considered simultaneously. The formulation of one-node connected hinges, as well as checkerboards and mesh-dependency, is typically encountered in the design of compliant mechanisms. A new hybrid-filtering scheme is proposed to solve numerical instabilities, which can not only eliminate checkerboards and mesh-dependency efficiently, but also prevent one-node connected hinges from occurring in the resulting mechanisms to some extent. Several numerical applications are performed to demonstrate the validity of the methods presented in this paper.     

Optimal design of truss structures using weighted superposition attraction algorithm

Engineering with Computers - In this paper, a recently developed swarm based metaheuristic algorithm called weighted superposition attraction (WSA) is implemented for sizing optimization of truss...     

Optimal design of machine components using notch correction and plasticity models

Shape optimization computational technology is used in order to maximize life time of notched machine/structural components in low cycle fatigue regime. The present approach is composed of three steps: (i) stress–strain calculation using notch correction and plasticity models, (ii) estimation of critical plane to asses fatigue lives, (iii) formulation of the optimization problem with constraint set on the number of cycles corresponding to crack initiation. The optimal design procedure is a combination of the computer aided geometrical design mathematical methods for the shape definition, the boundary element method used for analysis of the response quantities, assisted by the sequential linear programming method with move limits. Numerical examples display significant increase in the number of cycles corresponding to crack initiation phase in comparison to traditional (regular) notch shapes.     

Optimal topology selection of continuum structures with displacement constraints

This paper deals with the optimal topology selection of continuum structures subject to displacement constraints by using the performance-based design concept. The optimal topology of a continuum structure is generated by gradually eliminating underutilized elements from the discretized design domain. A performance index is developed for monitoring the optimization process and is used as a termination criterion in the optimization algorithm so that the global optimum can be selected from the optimization history. Maximizing the performance index in the design space is proposed as the performance-based optimization criterion. The performance index can be utilized to compare the efficiency of structural topologies produced by different continuum topology optimization methods. Several examples are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of the performance-based optimization approach in selecting the best configuration for the minimum-weight design of continuum structures with maximum stiffness.     

Optimal design of controlled structures

A formulation that finds the optimal design of a controlled structure is proposed. To achieve this goal, a composite objective composed of structural and control objectives is introduced to be optimized, and the effect of the control weighting is examined. A feedback control law is defined before the structural optimization and then the composite objective will only become a function of structural design variables. As a result, optimal structural design and control forces in steady state are obtained.Part of this paper was presented at WCSMO1 (First World Congress of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization), held in Goslar, Germany, May 28–June 2, 1995     

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.