Conceptual design of efficient heat conductors using multi-material topology optimization

ABSTRACT

Conductive heat transfer plays an important role in dissipating thermal energy to achieve lower operating temperatures in various devices. Topology optimization has the potential to provide efficient structural solutions for such devices. The traditional topology optimization approach considers a single material. Adding additional materials with unique properties not only can expand the design options but also may improve the structural performance of the final structure. In this work, a multi-resolution topology optimization approach is employed to design multi-material structures for efficient heat dissipation. The implementation blends an efficient multi-resolution approach to obtain high-resolution designs with an alternating active phase algorithm to handle multi-material giving greater design flexibility. It solves the steady-state heat equation using finite element analysis and iteratively minimizes thermal compliance (maximizes conductivity). Several examples are presented to show the efficacy of the numerical implementation, which involves benchmark problems. Results indicate good prospects when quantitatively compared with single-material structures.

KEYWORDS:

• Heat conduction
• cooling
• multi-material
• multi-resolution
• topology optimization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation [grant number 1521801]; and also by Veterans Affairs [grant number 5I01BX000418-06]. The opinions, findings, and conclusion stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of sponsors.