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.

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.

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.

Elimination of cracks in stainless steel casings via 3D printed sand molds with an internal topology structure

The important supporting component in a gas turbine is the casing,which has the characteristics of large size,complex structure,and thin wall.In the context of existing 3DP sand casting processes,casting crack defects are prone to occur.This leads to an increase in the scrap rate of casings,causing significant resource wastage.Additionally,the presence of cracks poses a significant safety hazard after the casings are put into service.The generation of different types of crack defects in stainless steel casings is closely related to casting stress and the high-temperature concession of the sand mold.Therefore,the types and causes of cracks in stainless steel casing products,based on their structural characteristics,were systematically analyzed.Various sand molds with different internal topology designs were printed using the 3DP technology to investigate the impact of sand mold structures on high-temperature concession.The optimal sand mold structure was used to cast casings,and the crack suppression effect was verified by analyzing its eddy current testing results.The experimental results indicate that the skeleton structure has an excellent effect on suppressing cracks in the casing.This research holds important theoretical and engineering significance in improving the quality of casing castings and reducing production costs.

Topological optimization of ballistic protective structures through genetic algorithms in a vulnerability-driven environment

Reducing the vulnerability of a platform,i.e.,the risk of being affected by hostile objects,is of paramount importance in the design process of vehicles,especially aircraft.A simple and effective way to decrease vulnerability is to introduce protective structures to intercept and possibly stop threats.However,this type of solution can lead to a significant increase in weight,affecting the performance of the aircraft.For this reason,it is crucial to study possible solutions that allow reducing the vulnerability of the aircraft while containing the increase in structural weight.One possible strategy is to optimize the topology of protective solutions to find the optimal balance between vulnerability and the weight of the added structures.Among the many optimization techniques available in the literature for this purpose,multiobjective genetic algorithms stand out as promising tools.In this context,this work proposes the use of a in-house software for vulnerability calculation to guide the process of topology optimization through multi-objective genetic algorithms,aiming to simultaneously minimize the weight of protective structures and vulnerability.In addition to the use of the in-house software,which itself represents a novelty in the field of topology optimization of structures,the method incorporates a custom mutation function within the genetic algorithm,specifically developed using a graph-based approach to ensure the continuity of the generated structures.The tool developed for this work is capable of generating protections with optimized layouts considering two different types of impacting objects,namely bullets and fragments from detonating objects.The software outputs a set of non-dominated solutions describing different topologies that the user can choose from.

Topological Structure-Modulated Collagen Carbon as Two-in-One Energy Storage Configuration toward Ultrahigh Power and Energy Density

Efficient energy storage devices with suitable electrode materials,that integrate high power and high energy,are the crucial requisites of the renewable power source,which have unwrapped new possibilities in the sustainable development of energy and the environment.Herein,a facile collagen microstructure modulation strategy is proposed to construct a nitrogen/oxygen dual-doped hierarchically porous carbon fiber with ultrahigh specific surface area(2788 m^(2)g^(-1))and large pore volume(4.56 cm^(3)g^(-1))via local microfibrous breakage/disassembly of natural structured proteins.Combining operando spectroscopy and density functional theory unveil that the dual-heteroatom doping could effectively regulate the electronic structure of carbon atom framework with enhanced electric conductivity and electronegativity as well as decreased diffusion resistance in favor of rapid pseudocapacitive-dominated Li^(+)-storage(353 mAh g^(-1)at 10 A g^(-1)).Theoretical calculations reveal that the tailored micro-/mesoporous structures favor the rapid charge transfer and ion storage,synergistically realizing high capacity and superior rate performance for NPCF-H cathode(75.0 mAh g^(-1)at 30 A g^(-1)).The assembled device with NPCF-H as both anode and cathode achieves extremely high energy density(200 Wh kg^(-1))with maximum power density(42600 W kg^(-1))and ultralong lifespan(80%capacity retention over 10000 cycles).

Explicit Topology Optimization Design of Stiffened Plate Structures Based on the Moving Morphable Component(MMC)Method

This paper proposes an explicit method for topology optimization of stiffened plate structures.The present work is devoted to simultaneously optimizing stiffeners’shape,size and layout by seeking the optimal geometry parameters of a series of moving morphable components(MMC).The stiffeners with straight skeletons and the stiffeners with curved skeletons are considered to enhance the modeling and optimization capability of the current approach.All the stiffeners are represented under the Lagrangian-description framework in a fully explicit way,and the adaptive ground structure method,as well as dynamically updated plate/shell elements,is used to obtain optimized designs with more accurate analysis results.Compared with existing works,the proposed approach provides an explicit description of the structure.Thus,a stiffened plate structure with clear stiffener distribution and smooth geometric boundary can be obtained.Several numerical examples provided,including straight and curved stiffeners,hierarchical stiffeners,and a stiffened plate with a cutout,validate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.

A Simple and Efficient Structural Topology Optimization Implementation Using Open-Source Software for All Steps of the Algorithm:Modeling, Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization

This work analyzes the implementation of a continuous method of structural topology optimization(STO)using open-source software for all stages of the topology optimization problem:modeling,sensitivity analysis and optimization.Its implementation involves three main components:numerical analysis using the Finite Element Method(FEM),sensitivity analysis using an Adjoint method and an optimization solver.In order to allow the automated numerical solution of Partial Differential Equations(PDEs)and perform a sensitivity analysis,FEniCS and Dolfin Adjoint software are used as tools,which are open-source code.For the optimization process,Ipopt(Interior Point OPTimizer)is used,which is a software package for nonlinear optimization scale designed to find(local)solutions of mathematical optimization problems.The topological optimization method used is based on the SIMP-Solid IsotropicMaterial with Penalization interpolation.The considered problem is the minimization of compliance/maximization of stiffness,considering the examples of recurrent structures in the literature in 2D and 3D.A density filtering algorithm based on Helmholtz formulation is used.The complete code involves 51 lines of programming and is presented and commented in detail in this article.

A Modified Bi-Directional Evolutionary Structural Optimization Procedure with Variable Evolutionary Volume Ratio Applied to Multi-Objective Topology Optimization Problem

Natural frequency and dynamic stiffness under transient loading are two key performances for structural design related to automotive,aviation and construction industries.This article aims to tackle the multi-objective topological optimization problem considering dynamic stiffness and natural frequency using modified version of bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization(BESO).The conventional BESO is provided with constant evolutionary volume ratio(EVR),whereas low EVR greatly retards the optimization process and high EVR improperly removes the efficient elements.To address the issue,the modified BESO with variable EVR is introduced.To compromise the natural frequency and the dynamic stiffness,a weighting scheme of sensitivity numbers is employed to form the Pareto solution space.Several numerical examples demonstrate that the optimal solutions obtained from the modified BESO method have good agreement with those from the classic BESO method.Most importantly,the dynamic removal strategy with the variable EVR sharply springs up the optimization process.Therefore,it is concluded that the modified BESO method with variable EVR can solve structural design problems using multi-objective optimization.

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.

Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms with Geometrical Nonlinearities Using the Ground Structure Approach

The majority of topology optimization of compliant mechanisms uses linear finite element models to find the structure responses.Because the displacements of compliant mechanisms are intrinsically large,the topological design can not provide quantitatively accurate result.Thus,topological design of these mechanisms considering geometrical nonlinearities is essential.A new methodology for geometrical nonlinear topology optimization of compliant mechanisms under displacement loading is presented.Frame elements are chosen to represent the design domain because they are capable of capturing the bending modes.Geometrically nonlinear structural response is obtained by using the co-rotational total Lagrange finite element formulation,and the equilibrium is solved by using the incremental scheme combined with Newton-Raphson iteration.The multi-objective function is developed by the minimum strain energy and maximum geometric advantage to design the mechanism which meets both stiffness and flexibility requirements, respectively.The adjoint method and the direct differentiation method are applied to obtain the sensitivities of the objective functions. The method of moving asymptotes（MMA） is employed as optimizer.The numerical example is simulated to show that the optimal mechanism based on geometrically nonlinear formulation not only has more flexibility and stiffness than that based on linear formulation,but also has better stress distribution than the one.It is necessary to design compliant mechanisms using geometrically nonlinear topology optimization.Compared with linear formulation,the formulation for geometrically nonlinear topology optimization of compliant mechanisms can give the compliant mechanism that has better mechanical performance.A new method is provided for topological design of large displacement compliant mechanisms.

TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION OF TRUSS STRUCTURE WITH FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN DYNAMIC RESPONSE CONSTRAINTS

In this paper, adaptive genetic algorithm （AGA） is applied to topology optimization of truss structure with frequency domain excitations. The optimization constraints include fundamental frequency, displacement responses under force excitations and acceleration responses under foundation acceleration excitations. The roulette wheel selection operator, adaptive crossover and mutation operators are used as genetic operators. Some heuristic strategies are put forward to direct the deletion of the extra bars and nodes on truss structures. Three examples demonstrate that the proposed method can yield the optimum structure form and the lightest weight of the given ground structure while satisfying dynamic response constraints.

ICM method for topology optimization of multimaterial continuum structure with displacement constraint

A new topology optimization method is formulated for lightweight design of multimaterial structures, using the independent continuous mapping (ICM) method to minimize the weight with a prescribed nodal displacement constraint. Two types of independent topological variable are used to identify the presence of elements and select the material for each phase, to realize the interpolations of the element stiffness matrix and total weight. Furthermore, an explicit expression for the optimized formulation is derived, using approximations of the displacement and weight given by first- and second-order Taylor expansions. The optimization problem is thereby transformed into a standard quadratic programming problem that can be solved using a sequential quadratic programming approach. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed multimaterial topology optimization method are demonstrated by determining the best load transfer path for four numerical examples. The results reveal that the topologically optimized configuration of the multimaterial structure varies with the material properties, load conditions, and constraint. Firstly, the weight of the optimized multimaterial structure is found to be lower than that composed of a single material. Secondly, under the precondition of a displacement constraint, the weight of the topologically optimized multimaterial structure decreases as the displacement constraint value is increased. Finally, the topologically optimized multimaterial structures differ depending on the elastic modulus of the materials. Besides, the established optimization formulation is more reliable and suitable for use in practical engineering applications with structural performance parameters as constraint.

Topology and Vortex Structures of Turbine Cascade with Different Tip Clearances

This paper uses the topology theory to analyze the surface flowspectrums of straight, positively curved and negatively curvedcascades with relative tip clearances of 0.023 and 0.036, findsapparent differences of topology and vortex structures in the bladetip and the suction side wall corner of single type of cascade withthis two clearances, and studies the mechanism of the differenceformation as well as their effects o the energy loss.

Study on local topology model of low/high streak structures in wall-bounded turbulence by tomographic time-resolved particle image velocimetry

The relationship between the in the logarithmic law （log-law） region of bursting event and the low/high-speed streak a turbulent boundary layer is investigated. A tomographic time-resolved particle image velocimetry （TRPIV） system is used to measure the instantaneous three-dimensional-three-component （3D-3C） velocity field. The momentum thickness based Reynolds number is about 2 460. The topological information in the log-law region is obtained experimentally. It is found that the existence of the quadrupole topological structure implies a three-pair hairpin-like vortex packet, which is in connection with the low/high-speed streak. An idealized 3D topological model is then proposed to characterize the observed hairpin vortex packet and low/high-speed streak.

Power Flow Response Based Dynamic Topology Optimization of Bi-material Plate Structures

Work on dynamic topology optimization of engineering structures for vibration suppression has mainly addressed the maximization of eigenfrequencies and gaps between consecutive eigenfrequencies of free vibration, minimization of the dynamic compliance subject to forced vibration, and minimization of the structural frequency response. A dynamic topology optimization method of bi-material plate structures is presented based on power flow analysis. Topology optimization problems formulated directly with the design objective of minimizing the power flow response are dealt with. In comparison to the displacement or velocity response, the power flow response takes not only the amplitude of force and velocity into account, but also the phase relationship of the two vector quantities. The complex expression of power flow response is derived based on time-harmonic external mechanical loading and Rayleigh damping. The mathematical formulation of topology optimization is established based on power flow response and bi-material solid isotropic material with penalization(SIMP) model. Computational optimization procedure is developed by using adjoint design sensitivity analysis and the method of moving asymptotes(MMA). Several numerical examples are presented for bi-material plate structures with different loading frequencies, which verify the feasibility and effectiveness of this method. Additionally, optimum results between topological design of minimum power flow response and minimum dynamic compliance are compared, showing that the present method has strong adaptability for structural dynamic topology optimization problems. The proposed research provides a more accurate and effective approach for dynamic topology optimization of vibrating structures.

A New Coordination Polymer Built of 4-(5H-tetrazol)-benzoic Acid and 3,5-Dimethyl-1H,1,2,4-Triazole Showing a Rarely Observed(3,5)-Connected lhh Topology: Synthesis, Structure, CO_2 Adsorption and Luminescent Property

A three-dimensional coordination polymer,namely {[Zn2（tzba）（dmtrz）（OH）]·3H2O}n（1,H2tzba = 4-（5H-tetrazol）benzoic acid,Hdmtrz = 3,5-dimethyl-lH,l,2,4-triazole）,was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.It crystallizes in monoclinic system,P21/c space group with a = 8.018（11）,b = 21.04（3）,c = 11.069（14） A,β=91.26（3）°,V= 1867（4） A^3,Z = 4,Dc = 1.729 g/cm^3,F（000） = 984,μ= 2.614 mm^（-1）,R（F^2 〉 2σ（F^2）） =0.0612 and wR（F^2） = 0.1533.Topological analysis reveals that compound 1 is a（3,5）-connected structure with a Schlafli symbol of（4~2.6）（4~2.6~5.8~3）,which is a rarely observed lhh topology.In addition,the CO2 adsorption performance and luminescent property of 1 have also been studied.

THE SATELLITE STRUCTURE TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION BASED ON HOMOGENIZATION METHOD AND ITS SIZE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

With the development of satellite structure technology, more and more design parameters will affect its structural performance. It is desirable to obtain an optimal structure design with a minimum weight, including optimal configuration and sizes. The present paper aims to describe an optimization analysis for a satellite structure, including topology optimization and size optimization. Based on the homogenization method, the topology optimization is carried out for the main supporting frame of service module under given constraints and load conditions, and then the sensitivity analysis is made of 15 structural size parameters of the whole satellite and the optimal sizes are obtained. The numerical result shows that the present optimization design method is very effective.

Topology-based analysis of pelagic food web structure in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean based on longline observer data

The tropical Pacific Ocean supports many productive commercial fisheries.However,few studies of ecosystem structure in the tropical Pacific Ocean have been carried out.In this study,we analyzed the food web structure in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean based on trophic relationships of 35 pelagic species collected by Chinese tuna longline observers from June to November in 2017.Topology indices(node degree,D;centrality indices,BC and CC;topological importance indices,TI^1,TI^3;keystone indices,K,K_t and K_b)and Key-Player algorithms(KPP-1,KPP-2)were used to select key species and construct a simplified food web combined with body size data.The Kendall rank correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that different topology indices resulted in consistent rankings of key species.Most key species were the same as those selected in other studies in the Pacific Ocean,such as Shortbill spearfish(Tetrapturus angustirostris),Swordfish(Xiphias gladius),Albacore tuna(Thunnus alalunga),cephalopods and scomber.The food web would be separated into many unconnected parts(F=0.632,FD=0.795,R^D=0.957)after the removal of the five key species,indicating the key roles of these species in the food web structure and stability.Body size was considered an influential indicator in constructing the simplified food web.This study can improve our understanding of the food web structure in the tropical Pacific Ocean and provide scientific basis for further ecosystem dynamics studies.

Topology optimization of 3D structures with design-dependent loads

Topology optimization of continuum structures with design-dependent loads has long been a challenge. In this paper, the topology optimization of 3D structures subjected to design-dependent loads is investigated. A boundary search scheme is proposed for 3D problems, by means of which the load surface can be identified effectively and efficiently, and the difficulties arising in other approaches can be overcome. The load surfaces are made up of the boundaries of finite elements and the loads can be directly applied to corresponding element nodes, which leads to great convenience in the application of this method. Finally, the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method is validated by several numerical examples.