Multi‐domain topology optimization with ant colony systems

The purpose of this paper is to present a graph representation of the design space that is suitable for the ant colony optimization (ACO) method in topology optimization (TO) problems.

The ACO is employed to obtain optimal routes in an equivalent graph representation of the discretized design space, with each route corresponding to a given distribution of material.

The problem associated with the maximization of the torque of a c‐core magnetic actuator is investigated, in which part of the yoke is discretized into a 16×8 grid and can assume three different materials: air, pure iron and a magnetic material.

The results of the c‐core magnetic actuator problem, which are in agreement with literature available, show the adequacy of the proposed approach to TO of electromagnetic devices.

The graph representation of the design space permits the solution of topological design problems with an arbitrary number of materials.

The results illustrate the potential of the methodology in dealing with multi‐domain TO problems, and the possibility to extend the application to 3D problems.