Design of Lightweight Structural Components for Direct Digital Manufacturing

Ning, Xin; Pellegrino, Sergio

doi:10.2514/6.2012-1807

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the initial structure generated in these ways may be structurally unstable, far from optimal, and even invalid. Ning and Pellegrino [38] optimized the structural topology based on the size distribution field. In our study, we find the PSL can be used to define the shape and topology of designed structure for given loads and supports.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A structural topology design method based on principal stress line

Kwok

2016

Computer-Aided Design

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Topology optimization is an important topic in structural mechanics. One common application is to obtain the optimal distribution of material that maximizes the stiffness of the solution (minimize the compliance). However, as an iterative process, topology optimization of large and complex structures is computationally intensive. The problem becomes even more complicated if the manufacturing constraints are taken into account in the optimization process. In this paper, a novel growth method based on principal stress lines (PSLs) is presented for topology optimization. The PSLs are traced in the design domain along the direction of principal stresses, in which the materials would be located to define the geometry and topology of the structure. Consequently, the optimization problem is converted into a geometric design problem. Compared to previous methods, the computation based on PSLs is fast, and the designer can have explicit control over the number of structural members. In addition, the manufacturing constraints can easily be incorporated. Multiple test cases are given to illustrate the presented method. The PSL-based method is promising for building practical designing tools for various structural applications.

show abstract

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A structural topology design method based on principal stress line

Kwok

2016

Computer-Aided Design

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Complex three dimensional solids can be created with highly non-regular material distributions in a near optimal fashion, enabling the fabrication of structures with enhanced performance. Topology optimization has emerged as a promising approach to utilize the benefits of additive manufacturing (Ning and Pellegrino, 2012;Meisel et al, 2013). Structural topology optimization seeks to find the optimal geometry and/or the material layout of a body within a given design domain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density and level set-XFEM schemes for topology optimization of 3-D structures

Villanueva

Maute

2014

Comput Mech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As the capabilities of additive manufacturing techniques increase, topology optimization provides a promising approach to design geometrically sophisticated structures which can be directly manufactured. Traditional topology optimization methods aim at finding the conceptual design but often lack a sufficient resolution of the geometry and structural response, needed to directly use the optimized design for manufacturing. To overcome these limitations, this paper studies the viability and characteristics of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) in combination with the LevelSet Method (LSM) for topology optimization of three dimensional structural design problems. The LSM describes the geometry by defining the nodal level set values via explicit functions of the optimization variables. The structural response is predicted by a generalized version of the XFEM. The LSM-XFEM approach is compared against results from a traditional Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method for two-phase "solid-void" and "solid-solid" problems. The numerical results demonstrate that the LSM-XFEM approach can describe crisply the geometry and predict the structural response of complex three-dimensional structures with acceptable accuracy even on coarse meshes. However, the LSM-XFEM studied here lacks a robust and intuitive formulation to control the minimum feature size, and the optimization results may depend on the initial design.

show abstract

“…Single monolithic reflectors suitable for concentrators (3.1 m wide) have been already realized in a customized furnace at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, at the University of Arizona [37]. A novel mirror concept based on an active laminate consisting of an ultra-thin (less than 1 mm) and ultra-light carbon-fiber shell bonded to a piezo-ceramic active layer have been recently investigated and manufactured with the aim of reducing the cost of active mirrors both in telescopes and concentrators [38][39][40].…”

Section: Optical Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%