Macroelement and Macropatch Approaches to Structural Topology Optimization Using the Ground Structure Method
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Volume 142, Issue 11
Abstract
Topology optimization can be divided into continuum and discrete types, the latter being the emphasis of the present work. In the field of discrete structural topology optimization of trusses, the generation of an initial ground structure is crucial. Thus, this paper examines the generation of ground structures for generic structural domains in two and three dimensions. It compares two methods of discretization, Voronoi-based and structured quadrilateral discretizations, and proposes two simple and effective ground structure generation approaches: the macroelement and macropatch approaches. Both can be implemented with either type of discretization. This work presents several features of these approaches, including the efficient generation of initial ground structures, a reduction in matrix bandwidth for the global stiffness matrix, finer control of bar connectivity, and a reduction in the number of overlapped bars. Generic examples and practical structural engineering designs are presented. They display the features of the proposed approaches and highlight the comparison with results from either the literature, the traditional ground structure generation, or the continuum optimization method.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the support from the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 1321661 and 1335160. They acknowledge the support from SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP), and from the Donald B. and Elizabeth M. Willett endowment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The authors also wish to extend their appreciation to Neil Katz for his help with this publication. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 11 • November 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 10, 2014
Accepted: Feb 1, 2016
Published online: May 19, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 19, 2016
Published in print: Nov 1, 2016
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