This work falls within the scope of computer-aided optimal design, and aims to integrate the topology optimization procedures and recent additive manufacturing technologies (AM). The elimination of scaffold supports at the topology optimization stage has been recognized and pursued by many authors recently. The present paper focuses on implementing a novel and specific overhang constraint that is introduced inside the topology optimization problem formulation along with the regular volume constraint. The proposed procedure joins the design and manufacturing processes into a integrated workflow where any component can directly be manufactured with no requirement of any sacrificial support material right after the topology optimization process. The overhang constraint presented in this work is defined by the maximum allowable inclination angle, where the inclination of any member is computed by the Smallest Univalue Segment Assimilating Nucleus (SUSAN), an edge detection algorithm developed in the field of image analysis and processing. Numerical results on some benchmark examples, along with the numerical performances of the proposed method, are introduced to demonstrate the capacities of the presented approach.

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This paper presents a calculation of the general static load-carrying capacity of four-contact-point slewing bearings under axial, radial, and tilting-moment loads. This calculation is based on a generalization of Sjoväll and Rumbarger’s equations and provides an acceptance surface in the load space. This acceptance surface provides a solid basis to compute acceptance curves for the design and selection of bearings of this kind.

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