Structural modeling, analysis and optimization method comparison for spacecraft design

Over time, the uneven settlements of the structure and foundation are prominent in constructing ship lock heads on soft soil. These deformations endanger the safety of ship lock heads during construction. This research aimed to establish the ship lock head’s structural optimization procedure on soft soil, considering the time-varying effects of the structure and foundation. By comprehensively considering the linear viscoelastic creep of concrete and the elastoplastic consolidation characteristic of soft soil, a perfect time-dependent analysis method for the lock head on soft soil was proposed. Furthermore, a hybrid particle swarm optimization, enhanced whale optimization, and differential evolution (PSO-EWOA-DE) algorithm was proposed to optimize thirty-four design variables of a lock head. With the minimal volume of the lock head as the optimization objective, the finite element model was established. In the optimization process, three types of constraints were evaluated. The result showed that the optimized design could reduce 10.45% of structure volume. Through comparing and analysing the maximum principle stresses and vertical displacements of the lock head before and after optimization, some conclusions were drawn. The optimization procedure proposed in this paper provides a new perspective for the structural optimization of hydraulic structures on soft soil.

Structural optimization procedures usually start from a given design topology and vary proportions or boundary shapes of the design to achieve optimality of an objective under various constraints. This article presents examples of the application of a novel approach for initiating formal structural optimization at an earlier stage, where the design topology is rigorously generated. A three-phase design process is used. In Phase I, an optimal initial topology is created by a homogenization method as a gray-scale image. In Phase II, the image is transformed to a realizable design using computer vision techniques. In Phase III, the design is parameterized and treated in detail by conventional size and shape optimization techniques. Fully-automated procedures for optimization of two-dimensional solid structures are outlined, and several practical design problems for this type of structures are solved using the proposed procedure, including a crane hook and a bicycle frame.

Metamodel-assisted design optimization in the field of structural engineering: A literature review

Optical design of Schwarzschild imaging spectrometer with freeform surfaces

Structural reliability-based design optimization with non-probabilistic credibility level

PurposeThis paper aims to summarize design rules based on the process characteristics of selective laser melting (SLM) and structural optimization and apply the design rules in the lightweight design of an aluminum alloy antenna bracket. The design goal is to reduce 30 per cent of the weight while maintaining the stress levels in the original part.Design/methodology/approachTo reduce weight as much as possible, the titanium alloy with higher specific strength was selected during the process of optimization. The material distribution of the bracket was improved by the topology optimization design. The redesign for SLM was used to obtain an optimization model, which was more suitable for SLM. The component performance was improved by shape optimization. The modal analysis data of the structural optimization model were compared with those of the stochastic lightweight model to verify the structural optimization model. The scanning data were compared with those of the original model to verify whether the model was suitable for SLM.FindingsStructural optimization design for antenna bracket realized the mass decrease of 30.43 per cent and the fundamental frequency increase of 50.18 per cent. The modal analysis data of the stochastic lightweight model and the structural optimization model indicated that the optimization performance of structural optimization method was better than that of the stochastic lightweight method. The comparison results between the scanning data of the forming part and the original data confirmed that the structural optimization design for SLM lightweight component could achieve the desired forming accuracy.Originality/valueThis paper summarizes geometric constraints in SLM and derives design rules of structural optimization based on the process characteristics of SLM. SLM design rules make structural optimization design more reasonable. The combination of structural optimization design and SLM can improve the performance of lightweight antenna bracket significantly.

As engineering systems become more complex, the need for 'optimal' designs becomes apparent and very important. A centralised approach can be economically unfeasible, owing to computer limitations, or because it is too complex and cumbersome to be implemented. In this paper, an approach using a suboptimal controller is proposed leading to a structural optimisation problem of large scale systems (LSS). The mathematical formulation of this problem is provided. A new structural controller is developed, and a step-by-step algorithm to design it is provided. An overall cost is defined and can be computed from the proposed algorithm. Two simple examples illustrating the applicability and usefulness of the new structural optimisation approach are included.

An automatic optimization approach for the structural design of turbine blade shroud is presented and applied to the optimal design of a zigzag shroud in this paper. It integrates commercial CAD and CAE softwares into optimization procedure iSIGHT. According to the normal rules of the shroud design and experience, this paper advises a zigzag shroud which is fit for a kind of turbine blade. The parametric model of the shroud is established and the pre-twist angle parameter is taken into consideration. The structural intensity performance of the shroud, which is used to compute the optimal objective and constraints during optimization, is determined by conducting coupled thermal-structural analysis of shrouded turbine blade using the commercial Finite Element code ANSYS. Two application examples of the optimization approach are presented, with optimal objective functions of shrouded blade mass and maximum shroud contact pressure respectively. The latter includes the pre-twist angle as one of design variables. Mechanical and geometry constraints are applied on the design to ensure that the optimized design meets requirements for feasibility of engineering criteria. Simulation results from shroud optimizations by means of the optimization approach prove that the performance of the shroud can be improved significantly through structure optimization. The optimization approach provides an effective method to design and optimize the similar complicated models.

A humanoid is a robot with its overall appearance based on that of the human body. When the humanoid moves or walks, dynamic forces act on the body structure. Although the humanoid keeps the balance by using a precise control, the dynamic forces generate unexpected deformation or vibration and cause difficulties on the control. Generally, the structure of the humanoid is designed by the designer’s experience and intuition. Then the structure can be excessively heavy or fragile. A humanoid design scenario for a systematic design is proposed to reduce the weight of the structure while sufficient strength is kept. Lower parts of the humanoid are selected to apply the proposed design scenario. Multi-body dynamics is employed to calculate the external dynamic forces on the parts and structural optimization is carried out to design the lower parts. Because structural optimization using dynamic forces directly is fairly difficult, linear dynamic response structural optimization using equivalent static loads is utilized. Topology and shape optimizations are adopted for two steps of initial and detailed designs, respectively. Various commercial software systems are used for analysis and optimization. Improved designs are obtained and the design results are discussed.

Reinforced concrete (RC) frames are extensively used in construction of buildings worldwide. The conventional design of these buildings typically relies on a "trial and error" method, starting with initial dimensioning followed by validation of the preliminary design. This approach makes it difficult to calculate potential cost savings in materials, while maintaining structural safety. In recent decades, the need for more efficient, safe and rational seismic design procedures has led to an increasing interest in structural optimisation of RC frames. However, due to the complex non-linear behaviour of RC frames, arriving at their optimum design under earthquake excitations is challenging. Even at serviceability limit state, concrete cracking can lead to significant stiffness changes and redistribution of inertial forces, phenomena that are normally expected after steel yielding. To mitigate these drawbacks, numerous combinations of section dimensions and reinforcement arrangements can be considered as design variables during a structural size optimisation process. However, this is seldom done for RC frames, as it requires seismic analyses with a high level of accuracy, which can be computationally expensive. Meanwhile, design optimisation has been identified as a feasible way to reduced embodied carbon emissions in construction, and therefore, a change of design paradigms is necessary. The article aims to critically review the major developments in recent seismic design optimisation studies on RC buildings, focusing on structural size optimisation, with the goal of identifying the main achievements and limitations. Different design objectives in current seismic design optimisation procedures are first summarised. The key steps in structural optimisation are then discussed, including design variables, design constraints, application of optimization methodologies, and evaluation of seismic performance. Finally, the research gaps in this field are identified, and suggestions are provided for future research directions. This article contributes towards the development of more efficient seismic design methods for RC structures, which in turn can lead to more sustainable construction.

Mathematical optimization theories are employed for the design of structures in structural optimization. Structural optimization is being widely utilized for practical problems due to well-developed commercial software systems. Three representative structural optimization systems such as Genesis, MSC Nastran and OptiStruct are investigated and evaluated by solving various test examples in different scales. The design capabilities of three software systems are explored and the performances of the systems are compared. The performance of structural optimization depends on the quality of the optimum solution and the computational time, and these aspects are compared from an application viewpoint. For a fair comparison, the same formulations are utilized, and the same optimization methods are employed for each example. Also, the same system environment is prepared, and the same optimization parameters are used. Additionally, various design options of each software system are tested for the best performance. Linear static response size, shape, topology, topometry and topography optimizations are applied to the examples and the results are compared. No system seems to be the best in all cases and each system has advantages and disadvantages depending on the application. In general, Genesis is excellent in computational time while OptiStruct gives excellent optimum solutions, in size, topometry and topology optimizations. Meanwhile, MSC Nastran presents good solutions in shape and topography optimizations.

The paper addresses the application of a parametric design process for a flying wing configuration. The multi-disciplinary configuration (MULDICON) is a generic unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) developed for research purposes, a further development of the DLR-F19 configuration, which was used for research activities in the scope of the DLR project Mephisto and its predecessors FaUSST and UCAV2010. For the MULDICON, the DLR parametric design process MONA is applied. Special emphasis is placed on the structural modeling with composite material where each layer is modeled and analyzed. Various failure criteria are compared to define suitable constraints for the optimization of the load carrying structure. In contrast to optimize the thickness of composites with global allowable strains, such strategy allows for a detailed analysis of every layer. The number of constraints due to the set-up of every ply is substantially increased compared to the strain allowables but the structural optimization is still applicable. The detailed structural and mass models represent the global stiffness and structural dynamic characteristics of the aircraft. For the loads analysis part of the design process, 9 different mass configurations with a total of 306 maneuvering load cases as well as 336 1-cos gust load cases are taken into account. Furthermore, a new simplified landing impact simulation is introduced to consider 12 landing load cases. All load cases are defined according to regulations like CS-25. Such number of load cases is necessary to cover a sufficient number of flight conditions. For the selection of the design loads for the structural optimization, the essential loads are analyzed for a subset of locations. Together with a parametrized optimization model, the structural optimization is conducted. The result is a weight-optimized structural model for the MULDICON. This entire model allows for the investigation of physics-based effects already at an early stage of the design process.

The ceramic-resin composite structure has broad prospects in many fields like rapid casting and thermal protection. Due to the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of resin is about 10 times higher than that of ceramic, the excessive thermal expansion of the resin pattern will lead to the undesirable crack of the ceramic shell during the heating procedure. The proposed approach is to find a reasonable resin configuration minimizing the thermal stress in the ceramic shell. Simultaneously, the mechanical stiffness of the whole structure should be maintained at a certain level to resist the pressure applied on the ceramic shell. In the actual production, the periodic resin configurations are more operable than the disordered configuration, so finding reasonable periodic resin configurations for ceramic-resin composite structure has lots of significance. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topology optimization method into the periodic resin configuration design for ceramic-resin composite structure. A structural topology optimization procedure in combination with thermo-mechanical finite element analysis has been developed. A single-layer periodic model and a double-layer periodic model are optimized and respective CAD models are rebuilt according to the optimal results. By comparing with the existing hexagonal honeycomb configuration, two optimal designs have shown better performances both in reducing the thermal stress in the ceramic shell and maintaining the stiffness of the whole structure.

The title study is performed by first developing some unique and efficient neural network computational and structural analysis techniques and such analysis technique-based stochastic optimization procedures. These techniques/procedures are then implemented into a previously developed finite element (FE) analysisbased stochastic optimization code for frame and trusstype structures to form a self-contained parallel PAR_STRAND_NET (PARallel STRuctural ANalysis/Design) code system executable on a message passing-type parallel computer platform. Several numerical example problems are presented for demonstration purposes.

One of the challenging problems in the field of structural engineering is designing cost-efficient structures with improved performance subject to earthquake loading conditions. Structural optimization procedures can be effectively employed for performance-based optimal design of structures. In this study, bat algorithm (BA) is utilized to implement performance-based optimum seismic design of steel dual braced frames for various performance levels. The required structural seismic responses are evaluated by performing nonlinear pushover analysis. The results found by BA are then compared with those of obtained by other popular meta-heuristics such as firefly algorithm (FA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to provide an insight about its computational performance. Two numerical examples are presented and the numerical results reveal that the BA outperforms PSO and FA.