Abstract
Used in several industrial fields to create innovative designs, topology optimization is a method to design a structure characterized by maximum stiffness properties and reduced weights. By integrating topology optimization with additive layer manufacturing and, at the same time, by using innovative materials such as lattice structures, it is possible to realize complex three-dimensional geometries unthinkable using traditional subtractive techniques. Surprisingly, the extraordinary potential of topology optimization method (especially when coupled with additive manufacturing and lattice structures) has not yet been extensively developed to study rotating machines. Based on the above considerations, the applicability of topology optimization, additive manufacturing, and lattice structures to the fields of turbomachinery and rotordynamics is here explored. Such techniques are applied to a turbine disk to optimize its performance in terms of resonance and mass reduction. The obtained results are quite encouraging since this approach allows improving existing turbomachinery components’ performance when compared with traditional one.
Highlights
Dynamic optimization methods are a gold standard in the turbomachinery field especially devoted to increase rotational velocity and, at the same time, to reduce components mass
Optimization methods are usually classified as follows (Figure 1):[2,3] parametric optimization,[4] shape optimization,[5,6] and topology optimization (TO).[7]
Despite TO methods are commonly used for civil applications[8] and for optimizing automotive components,[9] they have not been fully explored in the turbomachinery field.[10]
Summary
Dynamic optimization methods are a gold standard in the turbomachinery field especially devoted to increase rotational velocity and, at the same time, to reduce components mass. It is possible to increase the safety range of a component under operating conditions by changing its natural frequencies. Despite TO methods are commonly used for civil applications[8] and for optimizing automotive components,[9] they have not been fully explored in the turbomachinery field.[10] they have been regarded among ‘‘the most challenging and promising methods in structural optimization.’’11–15 TO is a method ‘‘able to determine the best distribution of Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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