Abstract
Aiming at the problems of a low material utilization rate and uneven stress distribution of cast-steel support joints in cable dome structures, topology optimization and additive manufacturing methods are used for optimization design and integrated manufacturing. First, the basic principle and calculation process of topology optimization are briefly introduced. Then, the initial model of the support joint is calculated and analyzed by using the universal software ANSYS Workbench 2020R2 and Altair OptiStruct, and the optimized joint is imported into Discovery Live to smooth the surface. The static behaviors of three types of joints (topology-optimized joints, joints after the smoothing treatment, and joints from practical engineering) are compared and analyzed. Finally, the joints are printed by using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology and laser-based powder bed fusion (LBPBF) technology in additive manufacturing. The results show that the new support joint in the cable dome structure obtained by the topology optimization method has the advantages of a novel shape, a high material utilization rate, and a uniform stress distribution. Additive manufacturing technology can allow the manufacture of complex shape components with high precision and high speed. The combination of topology optimization and additive manufacturing effectively realizes the advanced design and integrated manufacturing of support joints for cable dome structures.
Highlights
The cable dome structure is a spatial structure system constructed by Geiger, an American engineer, based on the overall tension idea of Fuller [1,2]
0 < xmin ≤ xi < xmax ≤ 1 where N is the total number of finite elements of the entire joint; C is a function of X and represents the flexibility of the joint; U is the structural displacement; K is the overall stiffness of the joint; V+ is the volume fraction of the joint
Compared with the actual joint, the mass of the topology-optimized joint is reduced by 33.14%, while its static behavior is improved
Summary
The cable dome structure is a spatial structure system constructed by Geiger, an American engineer, based on the overall tension idea of Fuller [1,2]. The design of cable dome support joints is still based on the experience of engineers; that is, the initial structural model is first established, and the design scheme is determined through the cycle of analysis verification, optimization improvement, and remodeling This process is timeconsuming and laborious, the quality of joint design is uneven, and the problems of low material utilization and uneven stress distribution are prominent. In this paper, based on the engineering background of an actual cable dome structure, optimization design and integrated manufacturing research are performed by using topology optimization and additive manufacturing methods. The cast-steel joints of the cable dome support studied in this paper belong to the continuum of structure topology optimization, and the most common method is solid isotropic material with penalization model (SIMP). The penalty factor is introduced to make the relative density of cells gather to 0 or 1 as much as possible
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