Steel and Composite Structures

Volume 51, Number 3, 2024, pages 261-270

DOI: 10.12989/scs.2024.51.3.261

Multi-material polygonal topology optimization for functionally graded isotropic and incompressible linear elastic structures

Thanh T. Banh, Joowon Kang, Soomi Shin and Dongkyu Lee

Abstract

This paper proposes an effective method for optimizing the structure of functionally graded isotropic and incompressible linear elastic materials. The main emphasis is on utilizing a specialized polytopal composite finite element (PCE) technique capable of handling a broad range of materials, addressing common volumetric locking issues found in nearly incompressible substances. Additionally, it employs a continuum model for bi-directional functionally graded (BFG) material properties, amalgamating these aspects into a unified property function. This study thus provides an innovative approach that tackles diverse material challenges, accommodating various elemental shapes like triangles, quadrilaterals, and polygons across compressible and nearly incompressible material properties. The paper thoroughly details the mathematical formulations for optimizing the topology of BFG structures with various materials. Finally, it showcases the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method through numerous numerical examples.

Key Words

functionally graded materials; incompressible materials; multi-material problems; polygonal discretization; topology optimization

Address

Thanh T. Banh:Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea Joowon Kang:Department of Architecture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea Soomi Shin:Research Institute of Industrial Technology, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea Dongkyu Lee:Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea