Multiscale eigenfrequency optimization of multimaterial lattice structures based on the asymptotic homogenization method

Abstract

Ultralight lattice structures exhibit excellent mechanical performance and have been used widely. In structural design, the fundamental frequency is highly important. Therefore, a multiscale topology optimization method was utilized to optimize the fundamental frequency of multimaterial lattice structures in this study. Two types of optimization problems were studied, namely, maximizing the natural fundamental frequency with mass constraints and minimizing compliance with frequency constraints. The Heaviside-penalty-based discrete material optimization method was adopted for the optimal selection of candidate materials. The asymptotic homogenization method was used to evaluate the equivalent macroscale properties according to the microstructure of the lattice material. To enable gradient optimization, sensitivities were outlined in detail. A density filter with a volume-preserving Heaviside projection was used to eliminate the risk of a checkerboard pattern and reduce the number of gray elements. A polynomial penalization scheme was employed to eliminate localized spurious eigenmodes in the low-density region. Finally, several numerical examples were performed to validate the proposed method. These numerical examples resulted in novel microstructural configurations with remarkably improved vibration resistance.