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Abstract Topology optimization has been proved to be an efficient tool for structural design. In recent years, the focus of structural topology optimization has been shifting from single material continuum structures to multimaterial and multiscale structures. This paper aims at devising a numerical scheme for designing bionic structures by combining a two-stage parametric level set topology optimization with the conformal mapping method. At the first stage, the macro-structural topology and the effective material properties are optimized simultaneously. At the second stage, another structural topology optimization is carried out to identify the exact layout of the metamaterial at the mesoscale. The achieved structure and metamaterial designs are further synthesized to form a multiscale structure using conformal mapping, which mimics the bionic structures with “orderly chaos” features. In this research, a multi-control-point conformal mapping (MCM) based on Ricci flow is proposed. Compared with conventional conformal mapping with only four control points, the proposed MCM scheme can provide more flexibility and adaptivity in handling complex geometries. To make the effective mechanical properties of the metamaterials invariant after conformal mapping, a variable-thickness structure method is proposed. Three 2D numerical examples using MCM schemes are presented, and their results and performances are compared. The achieved multimaterial multiscale structure models are characterized by the “orderly chaos” features of bionic structures while possessing the desired performance.
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Virtual element method (VEM)-based topology optimization: an integrated framework
We present a virtual element method (VEM)-based topology optimization framework using polyhedral elements, which allows for convenient handling of non-Cartesian design domains in three dimensions. We take full advantage of the VEM properties by creating a unified approach in which the VEM is employed in both the structural and the optimization phases. In the structural problem, the VEM is adopted to solve the three-dimensional elasticity equation. Compared to the finite element method, the VEM does not require numerical integration (when linear elements are used) and is less sensitive to degenerated elements (e.g., ones with skinny faces or small edges). In the optimization problem, we introduce a continuous approximation of material densities using the VEM basis functions. When compared to the standard element-wise constant approximation, the continuous approximation enriches the geometrical representation of structural topologies. Through two numerical examples with exact solutions, we verify the convergence and accuracy of both the VEM approximations of the displacement and material density fields. We also present several design examples involving non-Cartesian domains, demonstrating the main features of the proposed VEM-based topology optimization framework. The source code for a MATLAB implementation of the proposed work, named PolyTop3D, is available in the (electronic) Supplementary Material accompanying this publication.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1663244
- PAR ID:
- 10170741
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization
- ISSN:
- 1615-147X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-019-02268-w
