A Nodal Based Evolutionary Structural
Optimisation Algorithm
Author(s)
Y.-M. Chen, A. J. Keane & C. Hsiao
Abstract
This paper proposes a simple and interesting algorithm dealing with structural
shape, topology and thickness optimisation simultaneously. The proposed
approach is based on an interesting idea of migrating boundary nodes in an
iterative manner. An intuitive nodal-based evolutionary structural algorithm
drives the optimisation process. Finite element analysis is required at each stage
to reveal the relative stress distribution of the evolving structure, from which the
lowly stressed edge nodes are identified as design variables and shift towards the
higher stressed areas within the design domain during optimisation. Migrating
the geometry boundary nodes directly changes the structural shape and thus
perform shape optimisation. By introducing a fixed shape circular cavity into the
evolving structure during optimisation initiates topology optimisation. Further
shifting the cavity boundary nodes during optimisation gradually reveals the
structural topology. In addition, nodal thickness is gradually decreased to
enhance the reduction of structural weight. One feature of this nodal based
approach is that by employing boundary nodal coordinates as design variables
the interior finite element mesh becomes irrelevant to the shape definition of
structures, thus unstructured mesh may be used. This enhances the compatibility
on integrating the proposed algorithm with auto-meshing capability which is
incorporated in most commercial finite element software today. A couple of
benchmark problems, including the classical MBB beam, are used for illustration
purposes.
Keywords: nodal based approach, structural optimisation, evolutionary
optimisation, finite element, topology optimisation.
Keywords
nodal based approach, structural optimisation, evolutionary
optimisation, finite element, topology optimisation.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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