Open Access

ARTICLE

A novel Angle-Constrained Optimization method of Conformal Lattice Structures

Jun Yan^1,2, Weibin Xu¹, Fuhao Wang¹, Sixu Huo³, Kun Yan^4,*

1 State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Department of Engineering Mechanics, International Research Center for Computational Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
2 Ningbo Research Institute of Dalian University of Technology, Ningbo, China
3 Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Shenyang, China
4 School of Chemical Machinery and Safety, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China

* Corresponding Author: Kun Yan. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Scientific Computing and Its Application to Engineering Problems)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2026, 146(2), 8 https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2026.076948

Received 29 November 2025; Accepted 27 January 2026; Issue published 26 February 2026

Abstract

Conformal truss-like lattice structures face significant manufacturability challenges in additive manufacturing due to overhang angle limitations. To address this problem, we propose a novel angle-constrained optimization method grounded in the global adjustment of nodal coordinates. First, a build direction is selected to minimize the number of violating struts. Then, an angular-constraint matrix is assembled from strut direction vectors, and analytical sensitivities with respect to nodal coordinates are derived to enable efficient constrained optimization under nonlinear angular inequality constraints. Numerical studies on two complex curved-surface lattices demonstrate that all overhang violations are eliminated while only minor changes are induced in global stiffness and strength. In particular, the maximum displacement of an ergonomic insole varies by only 2.87% after optimization. The results confirm the method’s versatility and engineering robustness, providing a practical approach for additive manufacturing-oriented lattice structure design.

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Keywords

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