Structural Design Optimization Research Articles

Modelling of foundation damping in time-domain analysis of monopile supported offshore wind turbine structures

Foundation damping holds large potential for design optimisations of monopile-supported offshore wind turbine structures. However, the contribution of foundation damping is not well understood, in part due to lack of suitable method for incorporating foundation damping in the time-domain analysis of wind turbine structures. This paper presents a practical approach for this purpose in which a dashpot is attached in parallel to each p-y spring along the monopile. In this way, the distributed soil-pile interaction stiffness and damping are accurately modelled. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach, a case study exploring the influence of foundation damping on the dynamic response of an IEA 15 MW reference turbine founded on monopile is carried out. The results demonstrate that the foundation damping has relatively limited impact on the overall dynamic response and fatigue loads in power production states. However, inclusion of foundation damping is shown to significantly reduce the structural response after emergency shutdown and under parked conditions. The findings of the case study show promising potential for wind turbine structure design optimization through consideration of foundation damping.

Constructing high-performance micro fuel electrodes for reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells

Reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells (R-PCECs) are of great interest as efficient energy conversion device. Optimization of structural design can enhance the mechanical properties and gas transport of the cells, resulting in improved electrochemical performance. In this study, we developed a 7-channel micro-monolithic R-PCEC for the first time, with uniform channel distribution and smaller gas diffusion pathway length using phase inversion/extrusion technique. The assembled cell with Ni-BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ (Ni-BZCYYb, fuel electrode support) | BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ (BZCYYb, electrolyte) | PrBa0.5Sr0.5Co1.5Fe0.5O5+δ (PBSCF, air electrode) structure showed a peak power density of 0.94 W cm−2 at 700 °C in fuel cell mode and electrolysis current density of 2.17 A cm−2 at 700 °C with an operating voltage of 1.3 V. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) further indicated that the diffusive polarization of the structured cell was effectively reduced compared to single-channel counterpart.

Mechanical and thermal property analysis and optimization design of hybrid lattice structure based on triply periodic minimal surfaces

Hybrid lattice structures have significant potential in engineering applications owing to their outstanding mechanical and thermal properties. In this paper, an innovative design strategy for hybrid lattice structures is proposed involving the integration of primitive surfaces with truss lattice configurations. This approach allows for the full exploitation of the mechanical and thermal properties inherent in each component, leading to the development of new hybrid lattice structures. Firstly, the quasi-static compression and fluid-solid coupling heat conduction analysis of the hybrid lattice structure is carried out by numerical simulation. Then the effects of surface wall thickness, and truss diameter on the mechanical and thermal properties of the lattice structure are discussed. Additionally, the mechanical performance of the array hybrid lattice structure is evaluated through quasi-static compression experiments. These experimental results are compared with those from the numerical simulations, validating the accuracy of the simulation model. Finally, a multi-objective optimization model targeting specific elastic modulus and heat dissipation performance (indicated by Nusselt number) is established, in response to the demand of aviation and aerospace industries for lightweight, load-bearing, and heat-dissipating multi-functional integrated lattice design. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm is utilized to solve the optimal model, and the distribution of feasible solutions and Pareto front are obtained. The results show that the interpenetrating hybrid lattice structure has a greater improvement in mechanical and thermal properties than the primitive surfaces. This research holds significant implications for the design of multi-performance hybrid lattice structures.

Structure optimization design for pre-folded external double-layer biomimetic multi-cell thin-walled tubes

Structure optimization design for pre-folded external double-layer biomimetic multi-cell thin-walled tubes

Design-Optimization of Conventional Steel Structures for Realization of the Sustainable Development Objectives Using Metaheuristic Algorithm

The construction industry presents a significant environmental challenge due to its substantial environmental footprint, utilization of limited natural resources, and contribution to pollution and climate change. Additionally, optimizing the weight, cost, and duration of construction is crucial for enhancing serviceability, flexibility, efficiency, and profitability. In this research, the relationship between structure weight and other objective functions was explored using the single-objective gray wolf algorithm to investigate their impact on carbon footprint, water footprint, and construction time. Furthermore, employing a multi-objective optimization algorithm, a building structure was optimized for three systems featuring different structural frames based on the specified objective functions. The results revealed that the structure with intermediate steel moment-resisting frames exhibited the shortest construction time but incurred the highest construction cost. Conversely, the structure with intermediate steel moment-resisting frames with special steel concentric bracing demonstrated the lowest carbon footprint and water footprint among the studied structural frames. Consequently, the structure with intermediate steel moment-resisting frames with special concentric steel bracing was proposed as a green structure, emphasizing its environmentally friendly characteristics.

Study on the influence of collecting parameters of deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide on ore collecting characteristics

The commercialization of deep-sea mining has put forward strict requirements for ore collection output, ore collection efficiency, and environmental disturbance. However, the research of seafloor massive sulfide collection is in the initial stage. The influence of ore-collecting working parameters on the ore-collecting performance is not clear. In order to realize the commercial exploitation of deep-sea minerals, it is urgent to carry out the analysis and research on the influence of ore-collecting parameters on ore-collecting characteristics. The computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method is adopted in this paper to carry out numerical simulation research. Through the qualitative and quantitative analysis method, the influence law of six ore collecting parameters on ore collecting characteristics was analyzed. On this basis, the prediction model of ore-collecting characteristics and the optimal selection of ore-collecting parameters are proposed. Through the research, it is suggested to select 133.2 kg/s flow suction for ore collecting hard pipe; 60 rpm rotation speed is recommended for the mining head. It is recommended to select mining areas with the mineral density of 3000 kg/m3 for collection. The collection stage should be broken as far as possible to the 25 mm chip size. The recommended cutting depth is 224 mm if the strength and system metrics are met. The research of this paper provides a theoretical basis for the practice of deep-sea ore collection and has guiding significance for the selection of ore collection parameters, structural optimization design, and other engineering problems.

Dynamic Modal Reanalysis Using Flexibility Disassembly Perturbation Method

In structural optimization design and reliability analysis, it is necessary to repeatedly modify the structure and calculate the corresponding vibration modal parameters. It will require significant computational costs if a complete analysis is used to calculate the vibration modes of each modified structure. In order to improve computational efficiency, this work develops a dynamic modal reanalysis method based on flexibility disassembly perturbation, which utilizes the modal data of the original structure to quickly calculate the modal parameters of the modified structure. The core idea of the proposed method is to use the flexibility matrix decomposition formula to quickly calculate the flexibility matrix after each modification of the structure and then obtain a high-precision reduced eigenvalue problem for solving the vibration modes of the modified structure. Three numerical examples are used to validate the proposed modal reanalysis method. It has been shown that the proposed method has higher computational accuracy and efficiency than the existing modal reanalysis method, especially for high-rank and large modification scenarios.

Balance regulation of heat transfer and flow performance in convective heat exchange process of microchannel plates

As high-performance computing devices continue to evolve toward miniaturization and integration, chip performance has increased significantly. However, chip dimensions are simultaneously shrinking. This trend has led to more challenging high heat flux density issues. Microchannel liquid cooling is an effective way to solve this issue, where the most critical aspect is the balance regulation of heat transfer performance and fluid dynamics. To address this challenge, this study initially divided a complete microchannel plate into two parts: an inlet distribution chamber (IDC) and an array structure. Subsequently, anentransy dissipation rate modeland apumping power consumption modelwere established for themicrochannel inlet diversion chamber, and an optimization design was carried out. This solved the problems of the optimal branch level and optimal channel size for designing the microchannel IDC within a given space. Next, themicrochannel array structurewas optimized to minimize boththermal resistanceandoverall flow resistance. This approach facilitated proactive optimization design for the microchannel array structure within the specified space. Finally, the independently optimizedinlet diversion chamberandarray structurewere combined into a complete optimized microchannel plate. Several comparative structures were also designed under the same constraints. Experimental research was conducted to validate the reasonableness of the optimization. The results indicated that, compared to randomly designed structures, the average overall performance of the optimized structure within the study scope hadincreased by at least 1.16 times, with the highest improvement reaching4.29 times. This study provides a theoretical reference for the active optimization design of microchannel plates in convective heat exchange process.

Strength analysis and structural improvement of the connection between rear shock absorber support and frame of a city bus based on Hypermesh

Abstract In response to the phenomenon of cracking at the rivet holes of the plate connecting the rear shock absorber to the frame of the 6-meter leaf spring of the passenger bus, this article takes the rear shock absorber support and the frame as the research object. Firstly, CATIA software is used to model the object, and Hypermesh is used to divide the mesh to establish a fine element model. The Optistruct finite element solver is used to analyze the strength of the model, and the analysis results are imported into Hyperview 2019 for post-processing to analyze stress distribution and stress concentration. The simulation analysis results show that when a force of 6, 721 N is applied to the rear shock absorber support, the maximum stress value occurs at the rivet holes of the plate connecting the support to the frame, and the maximum equivalent stress value at this point is greater than the yield limit of the frame material, which is consistent with the crack location that occurs during actual vehicle operation. After adopting the strengthening scheme, the stress distribution of the frame is more uniform, greatly reducing stress concentration. The maximum stress value appears on the inner side of the right frame, and the maximum equivalent stress is less than the yield limit of the frame material, avoiding the crack phenomenon. The results indicate that this scheme can not only meet the performance requirements but also provide a reference for structural improvement and optimization design of the connection between the rear shock support and the frame.

Structural Optimization Design of MEMS Piezoelectric Hydrophones Based on Intelligent Learning Algorithm

Structural Optimization Design of MEMS Piezoelectric Hydrophones Based on Intelligent Learning Algorithm

Numerical modeling of wrinkling modulation in tensegrity-membrane structures

Tensegrity-membrane structures are potential to be lightweight gossamer spacecraft (e.g., solar sails, radar antennae, solar module), and the dynamics of deployment has been studied in the past studies where the membranes were usually modeled as a flat panel without wrinkles. However, the attitude control of membrane as well as the flatness are critical to the functionality of gossamer spacecraft. The paper proposes a numerical investigation on the modulation of wrinkling in tensegrity-membrane structures. The kinematic and deformation description is based on the co-rotational finite element method (FEM), while the wrinkling of membrane is modeled by Tension Field Theory (TFT). The numerical method is validated by an illustrative experiment, and then used for a surrogate model-based optimization design, in which clustered actuation is responsible for the attitude control of membrane, while classical actuation accounts for the suppression of wrinkles. An interesting tensegrity-membrane “Sunflower” is presented to show the result of optimization, where “Sunflower” can follow the sunlight angle accurately and freely control the orientation of “corolla” while maintaining its daylighting surface quality. This study provides an effective means for the numerical simulation and optimization design of tensegrity-membrane structures, especially when the attitude and wrinkling of membranes must be considered.

Multi-Objective Optimization in Support of Life-Cycle Cost-Performance-Based Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Surveys on the optimum seismic design of structures reveal that many investigations focus on minimizing initial costs while satisfying performance constraints. Although reducing initial costs while complying with earthquake design codes significantly ensures occupant safety, it may still cause considerable economic losses and fatalities. Therefore, calculating potential earthquake damages over the structure’s lifetime is essential from an optimal Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) design perspective. LCC analysis evaluates economic feasibility, including construction, operation, occupancy, maintenance, and end-of-life costs. The population-based, meta-heuristic Ideal Gas Molecular Movement (IGMM) algorithm has proven effective in solving highly nonlinear mono- and multi-objective engineering problems. This paper investigates the LCC-based mono- and multi-objective optimum design of a 3D four-story concrete building structure using the Endurance Time (ET) method, which is employed for its efficiency in estimating structural responses under varying seismic hazard levels. The novelty of this work lies in integrating the ET method with the IGMM algorithm to comprehensively address both economic and performance criteria in seismic design. The results indicate that the proposed technique significantly reduces minor injury costs, rental costs, and income costs by 22%, 16%, and 16%, respectively, achieving a total reduction of 10% in all structural Life-Cycle Costs, which is considered significant.

The influence of invariant horizontal projection area constraint on shape optimization of free-form surface structure with openings

Free-form curved surface shell roof is favored by architects, but the openings for daylighting will decline its mechanical properties. In the shell shape optimization under the vertical load, when the outer contour of the openings or the shell changes, the total load of the structure also changes with the changes in its horizontal projection area. This contradicts the premise of structural optimization, that is, to maintain the principle of unchanging total loads. To solve this problem, the invariant horizontal projection area of the shell was taken as constraints in the shell shape optimization in which the objective function was structural strain energy and optimization design variables were internal and external boundary points of the curved surfaces with openings, and the key points on the curved surface which were design variables of the overall shape of the curved surface. The numerical examples verified the validity of the method, and the influence of the invariant horizontal projection area constraint of the curved surface with openings on the optimization results of the minimum strain energy, optimization with the frequency constraint, and the initial surface with the different support distribution were discussed. The results of the numerical examples showed that the invariant horizontal projection area constraint has a greater impact on the results of the curved surface with opening optimization, and its influence should be considered in the engineering design.

Structure design and performance optimization of PVDF-CTFE nanofibrous composite nanofiltration membrane modified by C–Cl active site grafting

The substrate membrane plays a crucial role in determining the performance of composite nanofiltration membranes prepared by interfacial polymerization (IP). In this study, persistent hydrophilic modification of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene (PVDF-CTFE) was achieved by incorporating N-methylglucamine (N-MG) without altering the membrane's morphology or pore size. Moreover, thin-film nanofibrous composite (TFNC) nanofiltration membranes were prepared using the surfactant assembly regulated interfacial polymerization (SARIP) method with the modified PVDF-CTFE@N-MG nanofibrous membrane as the substrate. The effect of N-MG addition on the substrate membrane's hydrophilicity and the structure and performance of the polyamide (PA) separation layer was investigated. The results showed that the addition of N-MG significantly improved the hydrophilicity of the PVDF-CTFE nanofibrous membrane. The TFNC-5 membrane, prepared with the modified PVDF-CTFE@N-MG nanofibrous membrane as the substrate, exhibited permeability exceeding 13.5 L m−2 h−1·bar−1 for various dye solutions at 3 bar pressure, with rejection rates above 98 %. It also demonstrated excellent selective separation performance (separation factor for NaCl/Orange G reaching 97.38) and long-term operational stability. This work provides a method for the preparation of low-pressure, high-flux nanofiltration membranes, which is applicable to seawater desalination and dye wastewater treatment.

Optimization Design of Core Ultra-Stable Structure for Space Gravitational Wave Detection Satellite Based on Response Surface Methodology

In order to meet the urgent demand for novel zero-expansion materials and ultra-stable structures in space gravitational wave detection, it is necessary to develop an ultra-stable structural spacecraft system. This paper focuses on the research of the optimization of the core ultra-stable structure design of spacecraft, proposing a cross-scale parameterized model of structural deformation response and a multi-objective optimization method. By satisfying the prerequisites of mass and fundamental frequency, this paper breaks through the limitations of current linear analysis methods, and the overall thermal deformation of nonlinear material composite structures is optimized by modifying structural parameters.

A microstructure design-assisted prelithiation method for SiO/Graphite composite anode enabling controllable prelithiation efficiency and homogeneity

Prelithiation emerges as a promising strategy to compensate the irreversible initial capacity loss of the SiO/Graphite (SiO/Gr) composite anode. However, many scalable prelithiation methods encounter challenges of low efficiency and inhomogeneity, primarily stemming from a limited understanding of the spatial and temporal variations in prelithiation kinetics within large-scale electrodes. Utilizing an electrochemical prelithiation model, we integrated optimal electrode structure design with an electrochemically controllable method to concurrently enhance prelithiation efficiency and homogeneity. We demonstrated that prelithiation efficiency can be controlled by specifying the prelithiation current, while the design of the channel arrangement in the perforated electrode can enhance prelithiation homogeneity. Furthermore, we elucidated the interaction mechanism among channels under varying prelithiation currents and explored the impacts of channel size, channel spacing, and channel arrangement on prelithiation homogeneity under high prelithiation efficiency. With the insight gained from our simulation, the SiO/Gr composite anode featuring a channel diameter of 500 μm and a square channel arrangement with a spacing of 8.7 mm was designed. This design achieved a high prelithiation efficiency within 10 h, and maintained the prelithiation nonuniformity parameter below 0.1, accelerating the practical implementation of high-energy-density SiO/Gr composite anodes.

Microwave De-Icing Efficiency Improvement of Asphalt Mixture with Structural Layer Optimization and Heat-Resistance Design.

The application of microwave de-icing technology in road engineering is constrained by its low energy utilization rate, which can be attributed to low heat production rates and ineffective heat dissipation to the underlying pavement. In this work, asphalt mixtures are designed as an upper layer (heating layer) and a lower layer (thermal-resistance layer). Magnetite slag was selected as a microwave-sensitive source for generating heat, and expanded perlite powder was incorporated into the lower layer as a thermal resistance material. Structural layer optimization and thermal-resistance layer design of the asphalt mixture were carried out by changing the thickness of the upper and lower layers to further improve the heat production rates. The design effectiveness is comprehensively evaluated by factors such as the changing law of the average surface temperature of mixtures, ice-melting time, and cost-effectiveness analyses. The results show that EP possesses better thermal stability, lower microwave energy conversion ability and more excellent heat-resistance potential compared with mineral powder. The heat-resistance layer with EP can prevent heat from being conducted to the lower layer and promote it to concentrate on the specimen surface, which can endow the microwave heating efficiency of specimens to be further improved by up to 26.97% and the de-icing time reduced by 10%, ascribed to the heat-resistance design. Furthermore, the collaborative design of the structural layer optimization and heat-resistance layer can increase energy utilization efficiency and save microwave-absorbing materials while ensuring excellent microwave de-icing efficiency.

Stiffness analysis and structural optimization design of an air spring for ships

An air spring (AS) for ships must have the structural strength of its bellows enhanced considerably to ensure its reliability under high internal pressure and strong impact. In this case, the stiffness of the bellows gradually dominates the overall stiffness of the AS. Nevertheless, the parameterization calculation of stiffness for an AS mainly focuses on its pneumatic stiffness. The bellows stiffness is normally analyzed by virtue of equivalent simplification or numeric simulation. There is not an effective parameterization calculation model for the stiffness of the bellows, making it difficult to achieve the structural optimization design of the bellows. In this paper, the shell theory was borrowed to build a mechanical model for the bellows. Subsequently, the state vector of the bellows was solved by precision integration and boundary condition. Iteration was conducted to identify the complex coupling relationship between the vector of the bellows and other parameters. On this basis, the parameterization calculation method was introduced for the stiffness of the bellows to obtain the vertical and horizontal stiffness of the AS. After that, a dual-membrane low-stiffness structure was designed to analyze the dominating factors affecting the strength and stiffness of the AS, which highlighted the way to the low-stiffness optimization design of high-strength ASs. In the end, three prototypes and one optimized prototype were tested to verify the correctness of the parameterization design model for stiffness as well as the effectiveness of the structural optimization design.

Research on Torque Performance of Marine Hybrid Excitation Synchronous Motors Based on PSO Optimization of Magnetic Permeability Structure

The rotor magnetic shunt structure hybrid excitation synchronous motor (RMS-HESM) has been widely used in marine propulsion due to its advantages of low loss and high efficiency. The objective of this paper is to improve the output torque capability of the hybrid excitation motor with a rotor magnetic shunt structure by conducting a multi-objective optimization design for the magnetic permeability structure. The first step involved establishing a mathematical analytical model of average torque and torque ripple based on the fundamental principle of motor magnetization. Next, the parameters of the magnetic permeability structure were designed and analyzed using the finite element simulation method. The impact of the variations in the parameters of the magnetic permeability structure on motor torque and no−load back electromotive force was examined. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed on the design variables of the magnetic permeability structure, leading to the determination of optimization parameters based on the obtained results. The adaptive inertia weight-based particle swarm algorithm (PSO) was employed to conduct a multi-objective optimization design analysis. A comparative analysis on the average torque, torque ripple, and no−load back electromotive force of the motor before and after optimization was performed using the Maxwell and Workbench and Optislong joint simulation tools. This enhancement significantly improves the torque performance of the marine motor while simultaneously optimizing the no−load back electromotive force.

Optimum core structural design of the polymer optical waveguides as edge couplers for co-packaging

We simulate the optical properties of polymer optical waveguides with different refractive index profiles in their cores as coupling components (edge couplers) between single-mode fiber and SiOx waveguides. In this paper, we focus on the single-mode operation of graded-index (GI) core polymer waveguides, for which we previously demonstrated low propagation loss under multimode operation. We design the optimum core structure (size and index contrast) for different refractive index profiles, and then demonstrate the unique optical properties of GI waveguides contributing to the low optical loss compared to the step-index counterparts, in particular, mode field diameter variation and taper angle tolerance.