Open Access

ARTICLE

Concurrent Two–Scale Topology Optimization of Thermoelastic Structures Using a M–VCUT Level Set Based Model of Microstructures

by Jin Zhou, Minjie Shao^*, Ye Tian, Qi Xia^*

State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

* Corresponding Authors: Minjie Shao. Email: ; Qi Xia. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced Structural Optimization Methods and their Applications in Designing Metamaterials)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2024, 141(2), 1327-1345. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2024.054059

Received 17 May 2024; Accepted 19 July 2024; Issue published 27 September 2024

Abstract

By analyzing the results of compliance minimization of thermoelastic structures, we observed that microstructures play an important role in this optimization problem. Then, we propose to use a multiple variable cutting (M–VCUT) level set-based model of microstructures to solve the concurrent two–scale topology optimization of thermoelastic structures. A microstructure is obtained by combining multiple virtual microstructures that are derived respectively from multiple microstructure prototypes, thus giving more diversity of microstructure and more flexibility in design optimization. The effective mechanical properties of microstructures are computed in an off-line phase by using the homogenization method, and then a mapping relationship between the design variables and the effective properties is established, which gives a data-driven model of microstructure. In the online phase, the data-driven model is used in the finite element analysis to improve the computational efficiency. The compliance minimization problem is considered, and the results of numerical examples prove that the proposed method is effective.

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Keywords

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