Bisection Constraint Method for Multiple-Loading Conditions in Structural Topology Optimization

Abstract

Topology optimization (TO) is currently a focal point for researchers in the field of structural optimization, with most studies concentrating on single-loading conditions. However, real engineering structures often have to work under various loading conditions. Approaches addressing multiple-loading conditions often necessitate subjective input in order to determine the importance of each loading condition, aiming for a compromise between them. This paper proposes a so-called bisection constraint method (BCM), offering a unique, user-preference-independent solution for TO problems amidst multiple-loading conditions. It is well-known that minimizing the system’s compliance is commonly used in TO as the objective. Generally, compliance is not as sufficient as stress to be used as a response to evaluate the performance of structures. However, formulations focusing on minimizing stress levels usually pose significant difficulties and instabilities. On the other hand, the compliance approach is generally simpler and more capable of providing relatively sturdy designs. Hence, the formulation of min–max compliance is used as the target problem formulation of the proposed method. This method attempts to minimize compliance under only one loading condition while compliances under the remaining loading conditions are constrained. During the optimization process, the optimization problem is automatically reformulated with a new objective function and a new set of constraint functions. The role of compliance under different loading conditions, i.e., whether it is to be treated as an objective or constraint function, might be changed throughout the optimization process until convergence. Several examples based on the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) approach were conducted to illustrate the validity of the proposed method. Furthermore, the general effectiveness of the compliance approach in terms of stress levels is also discussed. The calculation results demonstrated that while the compliance approach is effective in several cases, it proves ineffective in certain scenarios.