Michael Yu Wang^1,2, Shiwei Zhou²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.6, No.6, pp. 547-566, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2004.006.547

Abstract In this paper we present a variational method to address the topology optimization problem -- the phase transition method. A phase-field model is employed based on the phase-transition theory in the fields of mechanics and material sciences. The topology optimization is formulated as a continuous problem with the phase-field as design variables within a fixed reference domain. All regions are described in terms of the phase field which makes no distinction between the solid, void and their interface. The Van der Waals-Cahn-Hilliard theory is applied to define the variational topology optimization as a dynamic process… More >

Michael Yu Wang¹, Xiaoming Wang²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.6, No.4, pp. 373-396, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2004.006.373

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of structural shape and topology optimization. A level set method is adopted as an alternative approach to the popular homogenization based methods. The paper focuses on four areas of discussion: (1) The level-set model of the structure’s shape is characterized as a region and global representation; the shape boundary is embedded in a higher-dimensional scalar function as its “iso-surface.” Changes of the shape and topology are governed by a partial differential equation (PDE). (2) The velocity vector of the Hamilton-Jacobi PDE is shown to be naturally related to the shape… More >

R. Sedaghati, A. Suleman¹, S. Dost, B. Tabarrok²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 259-272, 2001, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2001.002.259

Abstract A structural analysis and optimization method is developed to find the optimal topology of adaptive determinate truss structures under various impact loading conditions. The objective function is based on the maximization of the structural strength subject to geometric constraints. The dynamic structural analysis is based on the integrated finite element force method and the optimization procedure is based on the Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) method. The equilibrium matrix is generated automatically through the finite element analysis and the compatibility matrix is obtained directly using the displacement-deformation relations and the Single Value Decomposition (SVD) technique. By More >