A Hybrid Level Set Optimization Design Method of Functionally Graded Cellular Structures Considering Connectivity

With the continuous advancement in topology optimization and additive manufacturing(AM)technology,the capability to fabricate functionally graded materials and intricate cellular structures with spatially varying microstructures has grown significantly.However,a critical challenge is encountered in the design of these structures–the absence of robust interface connections between adjacent microstructures,potentially resulting in diminished efficiency or macroscopic failure.A Hybrid Level Set Method(HLSM)is proposed,specifically designed to enhance connectivity among non-uniform microstructures,contributing to the design of functionally graded cellular structures.The HLSM introduces a pioneering algorithm for effectively blending heterogeneous microstructure interfaces.Initially,an interpolation algorithm is presented to construct transition microstructures seamlessly connected on both sides.Subsequently,the algorithm enables the morphing of non-uniform unit cells to seamlessly adapt to interconnected adjacent microstructures.The method,seamlessly integrated into a multi-scale topology optimization framework using the level set method,exhibits its efficacy through numerical examples,showcasing its prowess in optimizing 2D and 3D functionally graded materials(FGM)and multi-scale topology optimization.In essence,the pressing issue of interface connections in complex structure design is not only addressed but also a robust methodology is introduced,substantiated by numerical evidence,advancing optimization capabilities in the realm of functionally graded materials and cellular structures.

Topological and Shape Optimization of Flexure Hinges for Designing Compliant Mechanisms Using the Level Set Method

A flexure hinge is a major component in designing compliant mechanisms that o ers unique possibilities in a wide range of application fields in which high positioning accuracy is required. Although various flexure hinges with di erent configurations have been successively proposed, they are often designed based on designers' experiences and inspirations. This study presents a systematic method for topological optimization of flexure hinges by using the level set method. Optimization formulations are developed by considering the functional requirements and geometrical constraints of flexure hinges. The functional requirements are first constructed by maximizing the compliance in the desired direction while minimizing the compliances in the other directions. The weighting sum method is used to construct an objective function in which a self-adjust method is used to set the weighting factors. A constraint on the symmetry of the obtained configuration is developed. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. The obtained results reveal that the design of a flexure hinge starting from the topology level can yield more choices for compliant mechanism design and obtain better designs that achieve higher performance.

A LEVEL SET METHOD FOR STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION WITH MULTI-CONSTRAINTS AND MULTI-MATERIALS

Combining the vector level set model,the shape sensitivity analysis theory with the gradient projection technique,a level set method for topology optimization with multi-constraints and multi-materials is presented in this paper.The method implicitly describes structural material in- terfaces by the vector level set and achieves the optimal shape and topology through the continuous evolution of the material interfaces in the structure.In order to increase computational efficiency for a fast convergence,an appropriate nonlinear speed mapping is established in the tangential space of the active constraints.Meanwhile,in order to overcome the numerical instability of general topology opti- mization problems,the regularization with the mean curvature flow is utilized to maintain the interface smoothness during the optimization process.The numerical examples demonstrate that the approach possesses a good flexibility in handling topological changes and gives an interface representation in a high fidelity,compared with other methods based on explicit boundary variations in the literature.

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.

The shape optimization of the arterial graft design by level set methods

The goal of the arterial graft design problem is to find an optimal graft built on an occluded artery, which can be mathematically modeled by a fluid based shape optimization problem. The smoothness of the graft is one of the important aspects in the arterial graft design problem since it affects the flow of the blood significantly. As an attractive design tool for this problem, level set methods are quite efficient for obtaining better shape of the graft. In this paper, a cubic spline level set method and a radial basis function level set method are designed to solve the arterial graft design problem. In both approaches, the shape of the arterial graft is implicitly tracked by the zero-level contour of a level set function and a high level of smoothness of the graft is achieved. Numerical results show the efficiency of the algorithms in the arterial graft design.

Topology Optimization for Steady-State Navier-Stokes Flow Based on Parameterized Level Set Based Method

In this paper,we consider solving the topology optimization for steady-state incompressibleNavier-Stokes problems via a new topology optimization method called parameterized level set method,which can maintain a relatively smooth level set function with a local optimality condition.The objective of topology optimization is to􀀀nd an optimal con􀀀guration of theuid and solid materials that minimizes power dissipation under a prescribeduid volume fraction constraint.An arti􀀀cial friction force is added to the Navier-Stokes equations to apply the no-slip boundary condition.Although a great deal of work has been carried out for topology optimization ofuidow in recent years,there are few researches on the topology optimization ofuidow with physical body forces.To simulate theuidow in reality,the constant body force(e.g.,gravity)is considered in this paper.Several 2D numerical examples are presented to discuss the relationships between the proposed method with Reynolds number and initial design,and demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method in dealing with unstructuredmesh problems.Three 3D numerical examples demonstrate the proposedmethod is feasible in three-dimensional.

Topology and Shape Optimization of 2-D and 3-D Micro-ArchitecturedThermoelastic Metamaterials Using a Parametric Level Set Method

2-D and 3-D micro-architectured multiphase thermoelastic metamaterials are designed and analyzed using a parametric level set method for topology optimization and the finite element method.An asymptotic homogenization approach is employed to obtain the effective thermoelastic properties of the multiphase metamaterials.Theε-constraint multi-objective optimization method is adopted in the formulation.The coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE)and Poisson’s ratio(PR)are chosen as two objective functions,with the CTE optimized and the PR treated as a constraint.The optimization problems are solved by using the method of moving asymptotes.Effective isotropic and anisotropic CTEs and stiffness constants are obtained for the topologically optimized metamaterials with prescribed values of PR under the constraints of specified effective bulk modulus,volume fractions and material symmetry.Two solid materials along with one additional void phase are involved in each of the 2-D and 3-D optimal design examples.The numerical results reveal that the newly proposed approach can integrate shape and topology optimizations and lead to optimal microstructures with distinct topological boundaries.The current method can topologically optimize metamaterials with a positive,negative or zero CTE and a positive,negative or zero Poisson’s ratio.

Multiscale Isogeometric Topology Optimization with Unified Structural Skeleton

This paper proposes a multiscale isogeometric topology optimization(ITO)method where the configuration and layout of microstructures are optimized simultaneously.At micro scale,a shape deformation method is presented to transform a prototype microstructure(PM)for obtaining a series of graded microstructures(GMs),where microstructural skeleton based on the level set framework is applied to retain more topology features and improve the connectability.For the macro scale calculation,the effective mechanical properties can be estimated by means of the numerical homogenization method.By adopting identical non-uniform rational basis splines(NURBS)as basis functions for both parameterized level set model and isogeometric calculation model,the isogeometric analysis(IGA)is integrated into the level set method,which contributes to improving the accuracy and efficiency.Numerical examples demonstrate that,the proposed method is effective in improving the performance and manufacturability.

Predictive Modeling and Parameter Optimization of Cutting Forces During Orbital Drilling

To optimize cutting control parameters and provide scientific evidence for controlling cutting forces,cutting force modeling and cutting control parameter optimization are researched with one tool adopted to orbital drill holes in aluminum alloy 6061.Firstly,four cutting control parameters(tool rotation speed,tool revolution speed,axial feeding pitch and tool revolution radius)and affecting cutting forces are identified after orbital drilling kinematics analysis.Secondly,hybrid level orthogonal experiment method is utilized in modeling experiment.By nonlinear regression analysis,two quadratic prediction models for axial and radial forces are established,where the above four control parameters are used as input variables.Then,model accuracy and cutting control parameters are analyzed.Upon axial and radial forces models,two optimal combinations of cutting control parameters are obtained for processing a13mm hole,corresponding to the minimum axial force and the radial force respectively.Finally,each optimal combination is applied in verification experiment.The verification experiment results of cutting force are in good agreement with prediction model,which confirms accracy of the research method in practical production.

A Parameter-Free Approach to Determine the Lagrange Multiplier in the Level Set Method by Using the BESO

A parameter-free approach is proposed to determine the Lagrange multiplier for the constraint of material volume in the level set method.It is inspired by the procedure of determining the threshold of sensitivity number in the BESO method.It first computes the difference between the volume of current design and the upper bound of volume.Then,the Lagrange multiplier is regarded as the threshold of sensitivity number to remove the redundant material.Numerical examples proved that this approach is effective to constrain the volume.More importantly,there is no parameter in the proposed approach,which makes it convenient to use.In addition,the convergence is stable,and there is no big oscillation.

Buckling optimization of curvilinear fiber-reinforced composite structures using a parametric level set method

Owing to their excellent performance and large design space,curvilinear fiber-reinforced composite structures have gained considerable attention in engineering fields such as aerospace and automobile.In addition to the stiffness and strength of such structures,their stability also needs to be taken into account in the design.This study proposes a level-set-based optimization framework for maximizing the buckling load of curvilinear fiber-reinforced composite structures.In the proposed method,the contours of the level set function are used to represent fiber paths.For a composite laminate with a certain number of layers,one level set function is defined by radial basis functions and expansion coefficients for each layer.Furthermore,the fiber angle at an arbitrary point is the tangent orientation of the contour through this point.In the finite element of buckling,the stiffness and geometry matrices of an element are related to the fiber angle at the element centroid.This study considers the parallelism constraint for fiber paths.With the sensitivity calculation of the objective and constraint functions,the method of moving asymptotes is utilized to iteratively update all the expansion coefficients regarded as design variables.Two numerical examples under different boundary conditions are given to validate the proposed approach.Results show that the optimized curved fiber paths tend to be parallel and equidistant regardless of whether the composite laminates contain holes or not.Meanwhile,the buckling resistance of the final design is significantly improved.

Reliability Analysis of Wind Turbine Gearbox Based on the Optimal Confidence Limit Method

Based on the zero-failure data of 30 Chinese 1. 5 MW wind turbine gearboxes( WTGs),the optimal confidence limit method was developed to predict the reliability and reliability lifetime of WTG. Firstly,Bayesian method and classical probability estimation method were introduced to estimate the value interval of shape parameter considering the engineering practice. Secondly,taking this value interval into the optimal confidence limit method,the reliability and reliability lifetime of WTG could be obtained under different confidence levels. Finally,the results of optimal confidence limit method and Bayesian method were compared. And the comparison results show that the rationality of this estimated range.Meantime, the rule of confidence level selection in the optimal confidence limit method is provided, and the reliability and reliability lifetime prediction of WTG can be acquired.

基于八叉树自适应网格技术的Level Set运动界面追踪方法

Level Set方法因能有效地处理界面处复杂的拓扑结构变化以及大变形问题,广泛应用于界面追踪领域。在Level Set方法追踪运动界面时引入八叉树网格技术,通过八叉树网格的细化和粗化技术减少计算网格数量和计算内存并提高计算效率和计算精度。因为八叉树网格为非均匀网格,其相邻网格的层数值可能不相同,所以不能直接采用WENO格式离散Level Set函数得到网格处的函数值,进而提出八叉树网格离散模型解决这一问题,并提出基于八叉树网格距离场重新初始化方法减少Level Set方法的质量损失,最后将基于八叉树网格技术的Level Set方法应用于两个给定速度场的运动界面模拟算例以及基准件方腔的铸造充型过程的模拟。模拟结果表明该方法可以提高界面的精度,同时改善质量守恒性。

Level set函数快速步进并行重构的分区优化

为进一步提升Level set函数重构的分区并行重构效率,本文采用均分交界面方式进行分区,并保证生成内边界重构节点数量最少。通过运用基于共享存储并行编程(OpenMP)多线程技术的并行计算模型,实现圆球、Zalesak球和哑铃等值面的并行重构。计算结果表明:新分区方法能平衡子区域间计算荷载,减少子区域间信息传递次数和节点回滚次数,与均分区域方法相比,新分区方法能够获得更高计算速度,具有更好的实用性和可扩展性。

A level set method for reliability-based topology optimization of compliant mechanisms

Based on the level set model and the reliability theory, a numerical approach of reliability-based topology optimization for compliant mechanisms with multiple inputs and outputs is presented. A multi-objective topology optimal model of compliant mechanisms considering uncertainties of the loads, material properties, and member geometries is developed. The reliability analysis and topology optimization are integrated in the optimal iterative process. The reliabilities of the compliant mechanisms are evaluated by using the first order reliability method. Meanwhile, the problem of structural topology optimization is solved by the level set method which is flexible in handling complex topological changes and concise in describing the boundary shape of the mechanism. Numerical examples show the importance of considering the stochastic nature of the compliant mechanisms in the topology optimization process.

Level set band method: A combination of density-based and level set methods for the topology optimization of continuums

The level set method(LSM),which is transplanted from the computer graphics field,has been successfully introduced into the structural topology optimization field for about two decades,but it still has not been widely applied to practical engineering problems as density-based methods do.One of the reasons is that it acts as a boundary evolution algorithm,which is not as flexible as density-based methods at controlling topology changes.In this study,a level set band method is proposed to overcome this drawback in handling topology changes in the level set framework.This scheme is proposed to improve the continuity of objective and constraint functions by incorporating one parameter,namely,level set band,to seamlessly combine LSM and density-based method to utilize their advantages.The proposed method demonstrates a flexible topology change by applying a certain size of the level set band and can converge to a clear boundary representation methodology.The method is easy to implement for improving existing LSMs and does not require the introduction of penalization or filtering factors that are prone to numerical issues.Several 2D and 3D numerical examples of compliance minimization problems are studied to illustrate the effects of the proposed method.

Concurrent optimization of structural topology and infill properties with a CBF-based level set method

In this paper,a parametric level-set-based topology optimization framework is proposed to concurrently optimize the structural topology at the macroscale and the effective infill properties at the micro/meso scale.The concurrent optimization is achieved by a computational framework combining a new parametric level set approach with mathematical programming.Within the proposed framework,both the structural boundary evolution and the effective infill property optimization can be driven by mathematical programming,which is more advantageous compared with the conventional partial differential equatiodriven level set approach.Moreover,the proposed approach will be more efficient in handling nonlinear problems with multiple constraints.Instead of using radial basis functions(RBF),in this paper,we propose to construct a new type of cardinal basis functions(CBF)for the level set function parameterization.The proposed CBF parameterization ensures an explicit impose of the lower and upper bounds of the design variables.This overcomes the intrinsic disadvantage of the conventional RBF-based parametric level set method,where the lower and upper bounds of the design variables oftentimes have to be set by trial and error;A variational distance regularization method is utilized in this research to regularize the level set function to be a desired distanceregularized shape.With the distance information embedded in the level set model,the wrapping boundary layer and the interior infill region can be naturally defined.The isotropic infill achieved via the mesoscale topology optimization is conformally fit into the wrapping boundary layer using the shape-preserving conformal mapping method,which leads to a hierarchical physical structure with optimized overall topology and effective infill properties.The proposed method is expected to provide a timely solution to the increasing demand for multiscale and multifunctional structure design.

Parameterized level set method for structural topology optimization based on the Cosserat elasticity

When describing the mechanical behavior of some engineering materials,such as composites,grains,biological materials and cellular solids,the Cosserat continuum theory has more powerful capabilities compared with the classical Cauchy elasticity since an additional local rotation of point and its counterpart(couple stress)are considered in the Cosserat elasticity to represent the material microscale effects.In this paper,a parameterized level set topology optimization method is developed based on the Cosserat elasticity for the minimum compliance problem of the Cosserat solids.The influence of material characteristic length and Cosserat shear modulus on the optimized structure is investigated in detail.It can be found that the microstructural constants in the Cosserat elasticity have a significant impact on the optimized topology configurations.In addition,the minimum feature size and the geometric complexity of the optimized structure can be controlled implicitly by adjusting the parameters of the characteristic length and Cosserat shear modulus easily.Furthermore,the optimized structure obtained by the developed Cosserat elasticity based parameterized level set method will degenerate to the result by using the classical Cauchy elasticity based parameterized level set method when the Cosserat shear modulus approaches zero.

A Variational Binary Level Set Method for Structural Topology Optimization

This paper proposes a variational binary level set method for shape and topology optimization of structural.First,a topology optimization problem is presented based on the level set method and an algorithm based on binary level set method is proposed to solve such problem.Considering the difficulties of coordination between the various parameters and efficient implementation of the proposed method,we present a fast algorithm by reducing several parameters to only one parameter,which would substantially reduce the complexity of computation and make it easily and quickly to get the optimal solution.The algorithm we constructed does not need to re-initialize and can produce many new holes automatically.Furthermore,the fast algorithm allows us to avoid the update of Lagrange multiplier and easily deal with constraints,such as piecewise constant,volume and length of the interfaces.Finally,we show several optimum design examples to confirm the validity and efficiency of our method.