TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION BY A QUASI-STATIC FLUID-BASED EVOLUTIONARY METHOD

Abstract

The current article proposes a new algorithm for topology optimization based on a fluid dynamics analogy. The new algorithm possesses characteristics similar to the most well-known methods, as the ESO/BESO method working with discrete values and the SIMP method (using OC or MMA) working with intermediate values, as it is able to work both with discrete and intermediate densities, but always yields to a solution with discrete densities. It can be proven mathematically that the new method is actually a generalization of the BESO method, and when using appropriate parameters it will operate exactly as the BESO method. The new method is less sensitive to rounding errors than the BESO method when using iterative solvers and is able to give alternative topologies to well-known problems. The article presents the basic idea, the optimization algorithm, and compares the results of three cantilever optimizations to the results of the SIMP and BESO method.