Lightweight topology optimization with consideration of the fail-safe design principle for continuum structures

ABSTRACT

The topology optimization of continuum structures is investigated to obtain an optimized topology satisfying the fail-safe design principle with suitable redundancy components. An optimization model with a nonlinear objective and linear constraints is established by defining the reciprocal topology variable as design variables and linearly approximating the structural performance. The model is solved by a dual sequential quadratic programming (DSQP) algorithm. Topology optimization with displacement constraints is used as an example. The presented optimization model and solution approach offers the following advantages. (1) A volume constraint, which makes determining reasonable values difficult, need not be specified. (2) Weighted coefficients, which combine multiple compliances under different load cases into a combined compliance, need not be specified as well. (3) The presented optimization model is a type of single-objective programming and thus avoids the challenges in the min-max model. (4) The proposed method shows a strong capability of finding optimum solutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Continuum structures
• topology optimization
• fail-safe

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful for support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [11672103].