Multi-Material Topology Optimization for Spatial-Varying Porous Structures

This paper aims to propose a topology optimization method on generating porous structures comprising multiple materials.The mathematical optimization formulation is established under the constraints of individual volume fraction of constituent phase or total mass,as well as the local volume fraction of all phases.The original optimization problem with numerous constraints is converted into a box-constrained optimization problem by incorporating all constraints to the augmented Lagrangian function,avoiding the parameter dependence in the conventional aggregation process.Furthermore,the local volume percentage can be precisely satisfied.The effects including the globalmass bound,the influence radius and local volume percentage on final designs are exploited through numerical examples.The numerical results also reveal that porous structures keep a balance between the bulk design and periodic design in terms of the resulting compliance.All results,including those for irregular structures andmultiple volume fraction constraints,demonstrate that the proposedmethod can provide an efficient solution for multiple material infill structures.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on High-Pressure Centrifugal Pumps:Ultimate Pressure Formulation,Fatigue Life Assessment and Topological Optimization of Discharge Section

A high percentage of failure in pump elements originates from fatigue.This study focuses on the discharge section behavior,made of ductile iron,under dynamic load.An experimental protocol is established to collect the strain under pressurization and depressurization tests at specific locations.These experimental results are used to formulate the ultimate pressure expression function of the strain and the lateral surface of the discharge section and to validate finite element modeling.Fe-Safe is then used to assess the fatigue life cycle using different types of fatigue criteria(Coffin-Manson,Morrow,Goodman,and Soderberg).When the pressure is under 3000 PSI,pumps have an unlimited service life of 107 cycles,regardless of the criterion.However,for a pressure of 3555 PSI,only the Morrow criterion denotes a significant decrease in fatigue life cycles,as it considers the average stress.The topological optimization is then applied to the most critical pump model(with the lowest fatigue life cycle)to increase its fatigue life.Using the solid isotropic material with a penalization approach,the Abaqus Topology OptimizationModule is employed.The goal is to reduce the strain energy density while keeping the volume within bounds.According to the findings,a 5%volume reduction causes the strain energy density to decrease from 1.06 to 0.66106 J/m^(3).According to Morrow,the fatigue life cycle at 3,555 PSI is 782,425 longer than the initial 309,742 cycles.

A non-probabilistic reliability topology optimization method based on aggregation function and matrix multiplication considering buckling response constraints

A non-probabilistic reliability topology optimization method is proposed based on the aggregation function and matrix multiplication.The expression of the geometric stiffness matrix is derived,the finite element linear buckling analysis is conducted,and the sensitivity solution of the linear buckling factor is achieved.For a specific problem in linear buckling topology optimization,a Heaviside projection function based on the exponential smooth growth is developed to eliminate the gray cells.The aggregation function method is used to consider the high-order eigenvalues,so as to obtain continuous sensitivity information and refined structural design.With cyclic matrix programming,a fast topology optimization method that can be used to efficiently obtain the unit assembly and sensitivity solution is conducted.To maximize the buckling load,under the constraint of the given buckling load,two types of topological optimization columns are constructed.The variable density method is used to achieve the topology optimization solution along with the moving asymptote optimization algorithm.The vertex method and the matching point method are used to carry out an uncertainty propagation analysis,and the non-probability reliability topology optimization method considering buckling responses is developed based on the transformation of non-probability reliability indices based on the characteristic distance.Finally,the differences in the structural topology optimization under different reliability degrees are illustrated by examples.

Full-Scale Isogeometric Topology Optimization of Cellular Structures Based on Kirchhoff-Love Shells

Cellular thin-shell structures are widely applied in ultralightweight designs due to their high bearing capacity and strength-to-weight ratio.In this paper,a full-scale isogeometric topology optimization(ITO)method based on Kirchhoff-Love shells for designing cellular tshin-shell structures with excellent damage tolerance ability is proposed.This method utilizes high-order continuous nonuniform rational B-splines(NURBS)as basis functions for Kirchhoff-Love shell elements.The geometric and analysis models of thin shells are unified by isogeometric analysis(IGA)to avoid geometric approximation error and improve computational accuracy.The topological configurations of thin-shell structures are described by constructing the effective density field on the controlmesh.Local volume constraints are imposed in the proximity of each control point to obtain bone-like cellular structures.To facilitate numerical implementation,the p-norm function is used to aggregate local volume constraints into an equivalent global constraint.Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.After simulation and comparative analysis,the results indicate that the cellular thin-shell structures optimized by the proposed method exhibit great load-carrying behavior and high damage robustness.

Probabilistic-Ellipsoid Hybrid Reliability Multi-Material Topology Optimization Method Based on Stress Constraint

This paper proposes a multi-material topology optimization method based on the hybrid reliability of the probability-ellipsoid model with stress constraint for the stochastic uncertainty and epistemic uncertainty of mechanical loads in optimization design.The probabilistic model is combined with the ellipsoidal model to describe the uncertainty of mechanical loads.The topology optimization formula is combined with the ordered solid isotropic material with penalization(ordered-SIMP)multi-material interpolation model.The stresses of all elements are integrated into a global stress measurement that approximates the maximum stress using the normalized p-norm function.Furthermore,the sequential optimization and reliability assessment(SORA)is applied to transform the original uncertainty optimization problem into an equivalent deterministic topology optimization(DTO)problem.Stochastic response surface and sparse grid technique are combined with SORA to get accurate information on the most probable failure point(MPP).In each cycle,the equivalent topology optimization formula is updated according to the MPP information obtained in the previous cycle.The adjoint variable method is used for deriving the sensitivity of the stress constraint and the moving asymptote method(MMA)is used to update design variables.Finally,the validity and feasibility of the method are verified by the numerical example of L-shape beam design,T-shape structure design,steering knuckle,and 3D T-shaped beam.

Ballistic performance of additive manufacturing 316l stainless steel projectiles based on topology optimization method

Material and structure made by additive manufacturing(AM)have received much attention lately due to their flexibility and ability to customize complex structures.This study first implements multiple objective topology optimization simulations based on a projectile perforation model,and a new topologic projectile is obtained.Then two types of 316L stainless steel projectiles(the solid and the topology)are printed in a selective laser melt(SLM)machine to evaluate the penetration performance of the projectiles by the ballistic test.The experiment results show that the dimensionless specific kinetic energy value of topologic projectiles is higher than that of solid projectiles,indicating the better penetration ability of the topologic projectiles.Finally,microscopic studies(scanning electron microscope and X-ray micro-CT)are performed on the remaining projectiles to investigate the failure mechanism of the internal structure of the topologic projectiles.An explicit dynamics simulation was also performed,and the failure locations of the residual topologic projectiles were in good agreement with the experimental results,which can better guide the design of new projectiles combining AM and topology optimization in the future.

A Subdivision-Based Combined Shape and Topology Optimization in Acoustics

We propose a combined shape and topology optimization approach in this research for 3D acoustics by using the isogeometric boundary element method with subdivision surfaces.The existing structural optimization methods mainly contain shape and topology schemes,with the former changing the surface geometric profile of the structure and the latter changing thematerial distribution topology or hole topology of the structure.In the present acoustic performance optimization,the coordinates of the control points in the subdivision surfaces fine mesh are selected as the shape design parameters of the structure,the artificial density of the sound absorbing material covered on the structure surface is set as the topology design parameter,and the combined topology and shape optimization approach is established through the sound field analysis of the subdivision surfaces boundary element method as a bridge.The topology and shape sensitivities of the approach are calculated using the adjoint variable method,which ensures the efficiency of the optimization.The geometric jaggedness and material distribution discontinuities that appear in the optimization process are overcome to a certain degree by the multiresolution method and solid isotropic material with penalization.Numerical examples are given to validate the effectiveness of the presented optimization approach.

An Overview of Sequential Approximation in Topology Optimization of Continuum Structure

This paper offers an extensive overview of the utilization of sequential approximate optimization approaches in the context of numerically simulated large-scale continuum structures.These structures,commonly encountered in engineering applications,often involve complex objective and constraint functions that cannot be readily expressed as explicit functions of the design variables.As a result,sequential approximation techniques have emerged as the preferred strategy for addressing a wide array of topology optimization challenges.Over the past several decades,topology optimization methods have been advanced remarkably and successfully applied to solve engineering problems incorporating diverse physical backgrounds.In comparison to the large-scale equation solution,sensitivity analysis,graphics post-processing,etc.,the progress of the sequential approximation functions and their corresponding optimizersmake sluggish progress.Researchers,particularly novices,pay special attention to their difficulties with a particular problem.Thus,this paper provides an overview of sequential approximation functions,related literature on topology optimization methods,and their applications.Starting from optimality criteria and sequential linear programming,the other sequential approximate optimizations are introduced by employing Taylor expansion and intervening variables.In addition,recent advancements have led to the emergence of approaches such as Augmented Lagrange,sequential approximate integer,and non-gradient approximation are also introduced.By highlighting real-world applications and case studies,the paper not only demonstrates the practical relevance of these methods but also underscores the need for continued exploration in this area.Furthermore,to provide a comprehensive overview,this paper offers several novel developments that aim to illuminate potential directions for future research.

A Hybrid Parallel Strategy for Isogeometric Topology Optimization via CPU/GPU Heterogeneous Computing

This paper aims to solve large-scale and complex isogeometric topology optimization problems that consumesignificant computational resources. A novel isogeometric topology optimization method with a hybrid parallelstrategy of CPU/GPU is proposed, while the hybrid parallel strategies for stiffness matrix assembly, equationsolving, sensitivity analysis, and design variable update are discussed in detail. To ensure the high efficiency ofCPU/GPU computing, a workload balancing strategy is presented for optimally distributing the workload betweenCPU and GPU. To illustrate the advantages of the proposedmethod, three benchmark examples are tested to verifythe hybrid parallel strategy in this paper. The results show that the efficiency of the hybrid method is faster thanserial CPU and parallel GPU, while the speedups can be up to two orders of magnitude.

Web Layout Design of Large Cavity Structures Based on Topology Optimization

Large cavity structures are widely employed in aerospace engineering, such as thin-walled cylinders, blades andwings. Enhancing performance of aerial vehicles while reducing manufacturing costs and fuel consumptionhas become a focal point for contemporary researchers. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the topologyoptimization of large cavity structures as a means to enhance their performance, safety, and efficiency. By usingthe variable density method, lightweight design is achieved without compromising structural strength. Theoptimization model considers both concentrated and distributed loads, and utilizes techniques like sensitivityfiltering and projection to obtain a robust optimized configuration. The mechanical properties are checked bycomparing the stress distribution and displacement of the unoptimized and optimized structures under the sameload. The results confirm that the optimized structures exhibit improved mechanical properties, thus offering keyinsights for engineering lightweight, high-strength large cavity structures.

Topology Optimization of Metamaterial Microstructures for Negative Poisson’s Ratio under Large Deformation Using a Gradient-Free Method

Negative Poisson’s ratio(NPR)metamaterials are attractive for their unique mechanical behaviors and potential applications in deformation control and energy absorption.However,when subjected to significant stretching,NPR metamaterials designed under small strain assumption may experience a rapid degradation in NPR performance.To address this issue,this study aims to design metamaterials maintaining a targeted NPR under large deformation by taking advantage of the geometry nonlinearity mechanism.A representative periodic unit cell is modeled considering geometry nonlinearity,and its topology is designed using a gradient-free method.The unit cell microstructural topologies are described with the material-field series-expansion(MFSE)method.The MFSE method assumes spatial correlation of the material distribution,which greatly reduces the number of required design variables.To conveniently design metamaterials with desired NPR under large deformation,we propose a two-stage gradient-free metamaterial topology optimization method,which fully takes advantage of the dimension reduction benefits of the MFSE method and the Kriging surrogate model technique.Initially,we use homogenization to find a preliminary NPR design under a small deformation assumption.In the second stage,we begin with this preliminary design and minimize deviations in NPR from a targeted value under large deformation.Using this strategy and solution technique,we successfully obtain a group of NPR metamaterials that can sustain different desired NPRs in the range of[−0.8,−0.1]under uniaxial stretching up to 20% strain.Furthermore,typical microstructure designs are fabricated and tested through experiments.The experimental results show good consistency with our numerical results,demonstrating the effectiveness of the present gradientfree NPR metamaterial design strategy.

The Topology Optimization of Oil Cylinder Mounting

The method of the structural topology optimization is often used to design machine in the early stage of the mechanical design.And the mechanical structures use the topology design to produce a new still and lightweight part with the different loading.A new structure is created through overlapping these new optimized structure.

Independent continuous mapping for topological optimization of frame structures

Based on the Independent Continuous Mapping method （ICM）, a topological optimization model with continuous topological variables is built by introducing three filter functions for element weight, element allowable stress and element stiffness, which transform the 0-1 type discrete topological variables into continuous topological variables between 0 and 1. Two methods for the filter functions are adopted to avoid the structural singularity and recover falsely deleted elements： the weak material element method and the tiny section element method. Three criteria （no structural singularity, no violated constraints and no change of structural weight） are introduced to judge iteration convergence. These criteria allow finding an appropriate threshold by adjusting a discount factor in the iteration procedure. To improve the efficiency, the original optimization model is transformed into a dual problem according to the dual theory and solved in its dual space. By using MSC/Nastran as the structural solver and MSC/Patran as the developing platform, a topological optimization software of frame structures is accomplished. Numerical examples show that the ICM method is very efficient for the topological optimization of frame structures.

Plate/shell structure topology optimization of orthotropic material for buckling problem based on independent continuous topological variables

The purpose of the present work is to study the buckling problem with plate/shell topology optimization of orthotropic material. A model of buckling topology optimization is established based on the independent, continuous, and mapping method, which considers structural mass as objective and buckling critical loads as constraints. Firstly, composite exponential function (CEF) and power function (PF) as filter functions are introduced to recognize the element mass, the element stiffness matrix, and the element geometric stiffness matrix. The filter functions of the orthotropic material stiffness are deduced. Then these filter functions are put into buckling topology optimization of a differential equation to analyze the design sensitivity. Furthermore, the buckling constraints are approximately expressed as explicit functions with respect to the design variables based on the first-order Taylor expansion. The objective function is standardized based on the second-order Taylor expansion. Therefore, the optimization model is translated into a quadratic program. Finally, the dual sequence quadratic programming (DSQP) algorithm and the global convergence method of moving asymptotes algorithm with two different filter functions (CEF and PF) are applied to solve the optimal model. Three numerical results show that DSQP&CEF has the best performance in the view of structural mass and discretion.

A structural topological optimization method for multi-displacement constraints and any initial topology configuration

In density-based topological design, one expects that the final result consists of elements either black （solid material） or white （void）, without any grey areas. Moreover, one also expects that the optimal topology can be obtained by starting from any initial topology configuration. An improved structural topological optimization method for multidisplacement constraints is proposed in this paper. In the proposed method, the whole optimization process is divided into two optimization adjustment phases and a phase transferring step. Firstly, an optimization model is built to deal with the varied displacement limits, design space adjustments, and reasonable relations between the element stiffness matrix and mass and its element topology variable. Secondly, a procedure is proposed to solve the optimization problem formulated in the first optimization adjustment phase, by starting with a small design space and advancing to a larger deign space. The design space adjustments are automatic when the design domain needs expansions, in which the convergence of the proposed method will not be affected. The final topology obtained by the proposed procedure in the first optimization phase, can approach to the vicinity of the optimum topology. Then, a heuristic algorithm is given to improve the efficiency and make the designed structural topology black/white in both the phase transferring step and the second optimization adjustment phase. And the optimum topology can finally be obtained by the second phase optimization adjustments. Two examples are presented to show that the topologies obtained by the proposed method are of very good 0/1 design distribution property, and the computational efficiency is enhanced by reducing the element number of the design structural finite model during two optimization adjustment phases. And the examples also show that this method is robust and practicable.

Customized reconstructive prosthesis design based on topological optimization to treat severe proximal tibia defect

A novel reconstructive prosthesis was designed with topological optimization(TO)and a lattice structure to enhance biomechanical and biological properties in the proximal tibia.The biomechanical performance was validated through finite element analysis(FEA)and biomechanical tests.The tibia with inhomogeneous material properties was reconstructed according to computed tomography images,and different components were designed to simulate the operation.Minimum compliance TO subject to a volume fraction constraint combined with a graded lattice structure was utilized to redesign the prosthesis.FEA was performed to evaluate the mechanical performances of the tibia and implants after optimization,including stress,micromotion,and strain energy.The results were analyzed by paired-samples t tests,and p<0.05 was considered significant.Biomechanical testing was used to verify the tibial stresses.Compared to the original group(OG),the TO group(TOG)exhibited lower stress on the stem,and the maximum von Mises stresses were 87.2 and 53.1 MPa,respectively,a 39.1%reduction(p<0.05).Conversely,the stress and strain energy on the tibia increased in the TOG.The maximum von Mises stress values were 16.4 MPa in the OG and 22.9 MPa in the TOG with a 39.6%increase(p<0.05),and the maximum SED value was 0.026 MPa in the OG and 0.042 MPa in the TOG,corresponding to an increase of 61.5%(p<0.05).The maximum micromotions in the distal end of the stem were 135μm in the OG and 68μm in the TOG,almost a 50%reduction.The stress curves of the biomechanical test coincided well with the FEA results.The TO approach can effectively reduce the whole weight of the prosthesis and improve the biomechanical environment of the tibia.It could also pave the way for next-generation applications in orthopedics surgery.

LEVEL SET METHOD FOR TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION APPLYING TO STRUCTURE, MECHANISM AND MATERIAL DESIGNS

Based on a level set model, a topology optimization method has been suggestedrecently. It uses a level set to express the moving structural boundary, which can flexibly handlecomplex topological changes. By combining vector level set models with gradient projectiontechnology, the level set method for topological optimization is extended to a topologicaloptimization problem with multi-constraints, multi-materials and multi-load cases. Meanwhile, anappropriate nonlinear speed, mapping is established in the tangential space of the activeconstraints for a fast convergence. Then the method is applied to structure designs, mechanism andmaterial designs by a number of benchmark examples. Finally, in order to further improvecomputational efficiency and overcome the difficulty that the level set method cannot generate newmaterial interfaces during the optimization process, the topological derivative analysis isincorporated into the level set method for topological optimization, and a topological derivativeand level set algorithm for topological optimization is proposed.

Topological Optimization Method for Aeronautical Thin-Walled Component Fixture Locating Layout

Fixture locating layout has a direct and influential impact on aeronautical thin-walled component(ATWC)manufacturing quality.The purpose is to develop a topological optimization method for ATWC fixture locating layout to minimize the manufacturing deformation.Firstly,a topological optimization model that takes the stiffness of ATWC as the objective function and the volume of the locating structure as the constraint is established.Secondly,ATWC and the locating structure are regarded as an integrated entity,and the variable-density method based topological optimization approach is adopted for the optimization of the locating structure using ABAQUS topology optimization module(ATOM).Thirdly,through a subsequent model reconstruction referring to the obtained topological structure,the optimal fixture locating layout is achieved.Finally,a case study is conducted to verify the proposed method and the comparison results with firefly algorithm(FA)coupled with finite element analysis(FEA)indicate that the number and positions of the locators for ATWC can be optimized simultaneously and successfully by the proposed topological optimization model.

Reliability-Based Topology Optimization of Fail-Safe Structures Using Moving Morphable Bars

This paper proposes an effective reliability design optimizationmethod for fail-safe topology optimization(FSTO)considering uncertainty based on the moving morphable bars method to establish the ideal balance between cost and robustness,reliability and structural safety.To this end,a performancemeasure approach(PMA)-based doubleloop optimization algorithmis developed tominimize the relative volume percentage while achieving the reliability criterion.To ensure the compliance value of the worst failure case can better approximate the quantified design requirement,a p-norm constraint approach with correction parameter is introduced.Finally,the significance of accounting for uncertainty in the fail-safe design is illustrated by contrasting the findings of the proposed reliabilitybased topology optimization(RBTO)method with those of the deterministic design method in three typical examples.Monte Carlo simulation shows that the relative error of the reliability index of the optimized structure does not exceed 3%.

Open-Source Codes of Topology Optimization: A Summary for Beginners to Start Their Research

Topology optimization(TO),a numerical technique to find the optimalmaterial layoutwith a given design domain,has attracted interest from researchers in the field of structural optimization in recent years.For beginners,opensource codes are undoubtedly the best alternative to learning TO,which can elaborate the implementation of a method in detail and easily engage more people to employ and extend the method.In this paper,we present a summary of various open-source codes and related literature on TO methods,including solid isotropic material with penalization(SIMP),evolutionary method,level set method(LSM),moving morphable components/voids(MMC/MMV)methods,multiscale topology optimization method,etc.Simultaneously,we classify the codes into five levels,fromeasy to difficult,depending on their difficulty,so that beginners can get started and understand the form of code implementation more quickly.