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Smooth topological design of 3D continuum structures using elemental volume fractions

journal contribution
posted on 2020-04-15, 00:00 authored by Yun-Fei (Jack) Fu, Bernard RolfeBernard Rolfe, Louis Chiu, Yanan WangYanan Wang, X Huang, Kazem GhabraieKazem Ghabraie
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Topology optimization has emerged as a powerful tool for generating innovative designs. However, several topology optimization algorithms are finite element (FE) based where mesh-dependent zigzag or blurry boundaries are rarely avoidable. This paper presents a continuum topological design algorithm capable of obtaining smooth 3D topologies based on elemental volume fractions. Parametric studies are thoroughly conducted to determine the proper ranges of the parameters in the proposed algorithm. The numerical results confirm the robustness of the proposed algorithm. Furthermore, it is shown that very small penalty coefficients can be used to obtain clear and convergent topologies. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is further proven via numerical comparison with a well-established topology optimization framework. Because of the smooth boundary representation, optimized topologies are suitable for additive manufacturing (AM) without redesign or post-processing.

History

Journal

Computers and Structures

Volume

231

Article number

106213

Pagination

1 - 14

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

0045-7949

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal