Optimal topology design of structures under dynamic loads

Abstract

When elastic structures are subjected to dynamic loads, a propagation problem is considered to predict structural transient response. To achieve better dynamic performance, it is important to establish an optimum structural design method. Previous work focused on minimizing the structural weight subject to dynamic constraints on displacement, stress, frequency, and member size. Even though these methods made it possible to obtain the optimal size and shape of a structure, it is necessary to obtain an optimal topology for a truly optimal design. In this paper, the homogenization design method is utilized to generate the optimal topology for structures and an explicit direct integration scheme is employed to solve the linear transient problems. The optimization problem is formulated to find the best configuration of structures that minimizes the dynamic compliance within a specified time interval. Examples demonstrate that the homogenization design method can be extended to the optimal topology design method of structures under impact loads.