Explicit Topology Optimization Design of Stiffened Plate Structures Based on the Moving Morphable Component (MMC) Method

Abstract

This paper proposes an explicit method for topology optimization of stiffened plate structures. The present work is devoted to simultaneously optimizing stiffeners’ shape, size and layout by seeking the optimal geometry parameters of a series of moving morphable components (MMC). The stiffeners with straight skeletons and the stiffeners with curved skeletons are considered to enhance the modeling and optimization capability of the current approach. All the stiffeners are represented under the Lagrangian-description framework in a fully explicit way, and the adaptive ground structure method, as well as dynamically updated plate/shell elements, is used to obtain optimized designs with more accurate analysis results. Compared with existing works, the proposed approach provides an explicit description of the structure. Thus, a stiffened plate structure with clear stiffener distribution and smooth geometric boundary can be obtained. Several numerical examples provided, including straight and curved stiffeners, hierarchical stiffeners, and a stiffened plate with a cutout, validate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.