Topology Optimization Research Articles

Design and Optimization of an Anthropomorphic Robot Finger

The coupled-adaptive underactuated finger offers two motion modes: pre-grasping and self-adaptive grasping. It can execute anthropomorphic pre-grasp motions before the proximal phalanx contacts an object and transitions to adaptive enveloping once contact occurs. The key to designing a coupled-adaptive finger lies in its configuration and parameter, which are crucial for achieving a more human-like design for the prosthetic hand. Thus, this paper proposes a configuration topology and parameter optimization design method for a three-joint coupled-adaptive underactuated finger. The finger mechanism utilizes a combination of prismatic pairs and a compression spring to facilitate the transition between coupled motion and adaptive motion. This enables the underactuated finger to perform coupled movements in free space and adaptive grasping motions once it makes contact with an object. Furthermore, this paper introduces a finger linkage parameter optimization method that takes the joint motion angles and overall dimensions as constraints, aiming to linearize the joint coupling motion ratios as the primary optimization objective. The design method proposed in this paper not only presents a novel linkage mechanism but also outlines and compares its isomorphic types. Furthermore, the optimization results provide an accurate maximum motion value for the finger.

Topology optimization design and performance analysis of the low resistance rectifier for uniform air supply

Topology optimization design and performance analysis of the low resistance rectifier for uniform air supply

Three-Band Spectral Camera Structure Design Based on the Topology Optimization Method

The housing and bracket structure are critical components of multispectral cameras; the mechanical properties significantly affect the stability of the optical system and the imaging quality. At the same time, their weight directly impacts the overall load capacity and functional expansion of the device. In this study, the housing and bracket structure of a three-band camera were optimized based on the initial design. Using a combination of density-based topology optimization and multi-objective genetic algorithms in parametric optimization, redundant structures were removed to achieve a lightweight design. As a result, the total weight of the housing and bracket was reduced from 9.56 kg to 5.51 kg, achieving a 42.4% weight reduction. In the optimized structure, under gravity conditions, the maximum deformation along the z-axis did not exceed 7 nm, and the maximum amplification factor in the dynamic analysis was 1.42. The analysis demonstrates that the optimized housing and bracket exhibit excellent dynamic and static performance, meeting all testing requirements, and, under gravitational conditions, the spot diagram and modulation transfer function effect are negligible. Furthermore, in a static environment, the detection range across all spectral bands reaches 18.5 km, satisfying the mission requirements. This optimization design provides a strong reference for the lightweight design of future optical equipment.

Topology Optimization and Experimental Validation of a Baja Competition Brake Pedal Design

The automotive industry continually seeks innovative methods to reduce vehicle weight, enhance efficiency, and maintain structural integrity. This study presents a detailed framework that combines topology optimization (TO) and experimental validation, applied specifically to the design of a brake pedal for a Baja competition vehicle. The research involves a multi-step process, starting with finite element modeling, followed by TO using ANSYS Workbench to optimize the pedal's material distribution for weight reduction. Post-processing in Siemens NX is then performed to incorporate manufacturing constraints, ensuring the design is suitable for water jet cutting. The optimized brake pedal, constructed from 7075-T6 aluminum, weighs 42.6 g and demonstrates stress levels well below the yield strength of the material. Dimensions were determined based on the available space within the vehicle to ensure that the brake pedal would not interfere with any vehicle structure and would not impede the driver during operation. These considerations ensured that the pedal’s design maximized comfort and safety for the driver. Experimental validation is conducted through force and strain measurements, resulting in a 3.5% discrepancy between simulated and experimental stress values. Over 50 hours of track testing, including extensive on-road competition use, confirms the robustness and practical viability of the optimized design. This work underscores the potential of TO as a powerful tool for lightweight component design, demonstrating its integration with real-world testing and the ability to enhance the manufacturability of critical automotive components. The framework presented here not only validates the design process for brake pedals but also offers a versatile approach applicable to other vehicle components, contributing to the broader goal of optimizing automotive performance through lightweight designs.

Two-Dimensional Topology Optimization of Headtube in Electric Scooter Considering Multiple Loads

The safety and structural integrity of electric scooters have gained considerable attention owing to their increasing use in personal mobility and the associated accident rates. This study applied topology optimization to the headtube of an electric scooter, which is a critical component susceptible to structural failure under diverse load conditions. A finite element model was developed to simulate the behavior of the headtube under 16 single-load conditions, followed by optimization for multiple loads. The optimized design demonstrated an enhanced material distribution, balancing the lightweight construction and structural robustness. Collision performance analysis revealed an improvement of at least 51% in the strain energy distribution compared with that of existing commercial models. These results underscore the potential efficacy of topology optimization in enhancing the safety and reliability of personal mobility devices. Moreover, topology optimization can provide a systematic framework for designing critical structural components.

Simultaneous Thermal-Electrical Cloak and Camouflage via Level-Set-Based Topology Optimization

Abstract Cloaks are devices designed to conceal objects from detection. With the advancement of metamaterials, there is an increasing interest in developing multi-functional cloaks to cater to various application scenarios. This paper proposes a level-set-based shape and topology optimization scheme to design simultaneous thermal and electrical cloaking devices. Unlike classical methods such as coordinate transformation and scattering cancellation, which are vulnerable to high material anisotropy, the proposed method employs only naturally occurring bulk materials, greatly facilitating physical realization. The bifunctional cloak is achieved by reproducing the reference temperature and electrical potential fields within the evaluation domain through the optimal layout of two thermally and electrically conductive materials. Using a similar formulation, we extend the proposed method to design a thermal-electrical camouflage device that can conceal a sensor while allowing it to remain functional. This study presents a method to simultaneously achieve sensing and camouflaging in multiphysical fields using topology optimization. Previous research has generally addressed these functionalities separately; in contrast, we integrate them into a unified framework. To demonstrate the method's potential, we provide examples of bifunc tional cloaks and camouflage devices. The dependency of the optimization results on the initial designs is also briefly investigated. Despite exhibiting a notable reliance on the initial guesses, the objective functions based on least square error are sufficiently small to be considered an effective cloak. This work has the potential to spark broader exploration into meta-devices carrying multiple functionalities.

Sketch-Guided Topology Optimization with Enhanced Diversity for Innovative Structural Design

Topology optimization (TO) is a powerful generative design tool for innovative structural design, capable of optimizing material distribution to generate structures with superior performance. However, current topology optimization algorithms mostly target a single objective and are highly dependent on the problem definition parameters, causing two critical issues: limited human controllability and solution diversity. These issues often lead to burdensome design iterations and insufficient design exploration. This paper proposes a multi-solution TO framework to address them. Human designers express their stylistic preferences for structures through sketches which are decomposed into stroke and closed-shape elements to flexibly guide each TO process. Sketch-based constraints are integrated with Fourier mapping-based length-scale control to enhance human controllability. Solution diversity is achieved by perturbing Fourier mapping frequencies and load conditions in the neural implicit TO framework. Adaptive parallel scale adjustment is incorporated to reduce the computational cost for design exploration. Using the structural design of a wheel spoke as a case study, the mechanical performance and diversity of the generated TO solutions as well as the effectiveness of human control are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results reveal that the sketch-based constraints and length-scale control have distinct control effects on structural features and have different impacts on the mechanical performance and diversity, thereby enabling fine-grained and flexible human controllability to better balance conflicting objectives.

Topology Optimization for Large‐Scale Unsteady Flow With the Building‐Cube Method

ABSTRACTThis study proposes a novel framework for solving large‐scale unsteady flow topology optimization problems. While most previous studies on fluid topology optimization assume steady‐state flows, an increasing number of recent studies deal with unsteady flows, which are more general in engineering. However, unsteady flow topology optimization involves solving the governing and adjoint equations of a time‐evolving system, which requires a significant computational cost for topology optimization with a fine mesh. Therefore, we propose a large‐scale unsteady flow topology optimization based on the building‐cube method (BCM), which is one of the hierarchical Cartesian mesh methods. Although the BCM has been confirmed to have excellent scalability and is suitable for massively parallel computing, there are no studies that have applied it to unsteady flow topology optimization. In the proposed method, the governing and adjoint equations are discretized by a cell‐centered finite volume method based on the BCM, which can achieve high parallel efficiency even with a fine mesh. The effectiveness of the proposed method for large‐scale computing is discussed through several examples of optimization and verification of computational efficiency by weak scaling.

Revolutionizing Automotive Design: The Impact of Additive Manufacturing

Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) encompasses two primary strategies: adapting traditional designs for 3D printing and developing designs specifically optimized for additive manufacturing. The latter emphasizes consolidating assemblies and reducing weight, leveraging complex geometries and negative space through advanced techniques such as generative design and topology optimization. Critical considerations in the design phase include printing methods, material selection, support structures, and post-processing requirements. DfAM offers significant advantages over conventional subtractive manufacturing, including enhanced complexity, customization, and optimization, with transformative applications in aerospace, medical devices, and automotive industries. This review focuses on the automotive sector, systematically examining DfAM’s potential to redefine vehicle design, production processes, and industry standards. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature and case studies, this research identifies gaps in the integration of additive manufacturing into broader manufacturing frameworks. The study contributes to the literature by providing insights into how 3D printing is currently reshaping automotive production by offering a forward-looking perspective on its future implications for the industry.

Ultra-compact Y-branch splitter on thin-film lithium niobate substrate

We have proposed and demonstrated an ultra-compact Y-branch splitter on the thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform with topology optimization. Fabrication constraints, such as minimum feature size and radius of curvature, are also involved within the optimization process. With optimized design and high aspect ratio etching techniques, the footprint of Y-branch splitter is only 6μm×4μm while the average insertion loss is as low as 0.12 dB within 40 nm operation wavelength range. This work provides a potential solution for large-scale TFLN photonic integrated circuits in optical telecommunications and quantum photonics.

Effect of Topological Optimisation on the Kinetic Properties of the Kinematic Chain

Effect of Topological Optimisation on the Kinetic Properties of the Kinematic Chain

Developing porous hip implants implementing topology optimization based on the bone remodelling model and fatigue failure.

In contemporary orthopaedic practice, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a reliable surgical technique for hip joint replacement. However, introducing solid implants into human bone tissue can lead to complications, notably stress shielding and cortical hypertrophy. These issues often stem from mechanical mismatches, particularly stiffness disparities, between the solid implants and the bone tissue. A potential solution lies in adopting porous implant structures with lower stiffness and tuneable mechanical properties based on morphological parameters such as porosity, relative density, and unit cell sizes. This study, which is of significant importance to orthopaedic implant development, aims to develop porous implants that meet biological and manufacturing requirements, employing topology optimization methods to address the challenges associated with conventional solid implants. To achieve this objective, we conducted finite element analyses to compare the stress distribution within healthy bones with solid and newly developed porous implants under real-life loading conditions. The porous implants were designed with triply periodic minimal surface structures, featuring uniform relative density and gradient relative density mapping derived from topology optimization results considering additive manufacturing capabilities and biological constraints. Our findings provide critical insights into the impact on the bone's mechanical environment about the choice of implant. Specifically, solid implants significantly decrease applied stress within the cortical bone, leading to stress shielding and subsequent bone resorption, consistent with bone remodelling principles and Wolff's law. However, replacing the solid implant with uniform porosity with maximum compliance and employing gradient porous implants based on topology optimization methods significantly increases the strain energy density ratio. Specifically, the uniform gyroid, uniform diamond, gradient gyroid, and gradient diamond stems exhibited increases of 43%, 39%, 27%, and 25%, respectively, compared to the solid stem, effectively mitigating the stress shielding effect. However, amongst porous stems, only gradient designs could meet the mechanical strength requirements with a safety factor greater than one, rendering them suitable replacements for solid implants aimed at addressing associated complications. These results hold promise, particularly with the advancements in additive manufacturing methods capable of fabricating these porous implants with acceptable precision.

ИЗГОТОВЛЕНИЕ МЕТАЛЛИЧЕСКИХ ДЕТАЛЕЙ СЕЛЬХОЗТЕХНИКИ С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ АДДИТИВНОЙ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ЛИСТОВОГО ЛАМИНИРОВАНИЯ

Possibilities and prospects are considered for application of additive sheet lamination technology for direct manufacturing of agricultural machinery metal parts on the example of manufacturing of plow steel beam. Traditional design of plow beam and traditional technology of its manufacturing are analyzed. Modification of the beam design, including formation of multilayer structure and topological optimization with regard to its fabrication has been carried out using additive sheet lamination technology. The experimental sample of the beam of modified design was produced using combined additive and conventional technology and tested as part of the plow. Comparison of the design features and structural scheme of the technological process of the beam manufacturing using the traditional and modified methods is carried out. It is shown that the proposed design and technological developments provide a 17 % and more decrease in the beam weight while maintaining its required functional properties, 1.6 times increase in productivity and 1.4 times decrease in the cost of its manufacture. Thus, the incorporation of additive sheet lamination technology into the traditional technological chain of metal parts manufacturing makes it possible to increase the efficiency of production.

Enhancement of shipboard radar mast vibration performance by adopting design sensitivity analysis and topology optimization

Enhancement of shipboard radar mast vibration performance by adopting design sensitivity analysis and topology optimization

Reward Design for Intelligent Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Power Flow Control using Topology Optimization

Reward Design for Intelligent Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Power Flow Control using Topology Optimization

Improvement of heat transfer and reaction performance of a K2CO3 fixed-bed energy storage reactor using topology optimization

Improvement of heat transfer and reaction performance of a K2CO3 fixed-bed energy storage reactor using topology optimization

Topology optimization considering shielding and penetrating features based on fictitious physical model

Topology optimization considering shielding and penetrating features based on fictitious physical model

Evolution of material-efficient concrete girders: Conceptual design informed by topology optimisation and experimental testing regime

Evolution of material-efficient concrete girders: Conceptual design informed by topology optimisation and experimental testing regime

Development and integration of a tool for physics-based shape and topology optimization in the MOOSE multiphysics simulation framework

Development and integration of a tool for physics-based shape and topology optimization in the MOOSE multiphysics simulation framework

Metamaterial design with vibroacoustic bandgaps through topology optimization

Metamaterial design with vibroacoustic bandgaps through topology optimization