Structural Topology Optimization by Genetic Algorithm. Improvement of Calculation Efficiency for Real System Optimization.

Abstract

A structural topology optimization method based on the genetic algorithm is presented in this paper. The fitness function composed of a natural frequency is maximized by optimizing the topology of the structure. The optimum topology of the structure is determined by optimizing the placement of the finite elements in FEM analysis. In the optimum design based on the genetic algorithm, the computation burden should be decreased for practical use. This study improves the genetic operations with respect to crossover and mutation and realizes high efficiency of the calculation. Furthermore, the higher efficiency of the calculation is achieved by the model reduction in structural analysis. Effectiveness and practicability of the proposed approach are verified by optimizing the topology of the guide-arm installed in the magnetic disk device.