Robust Topological Design of Cellular Materials

Author(s):  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
David L. McDowell ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

A robust topology exploration method is under development in which robust design techniques are extended to the early stages of a design process when a product’s layout or topology is determined. The performance of many designs is strongly influenced by both topology, or the geometric arrangement and connectivity of a design, and potential variations in factors such as the operating environment, the manufacturing process, and specifications of the design itself. While topology design and robust design are active research areas, little attention has been devoted to integrating the two categories of design methods. In this paper, we move toward a comprehensive robust topology exploration method by coupling robust design methods, namely, design capability indices with topology design techniques. The resulting design method facilitates efficient, effective realization of robust designs with complex topologies. The method is employed to design extruded cellular materials with robust, desirable elastic properties. For this class of materials, 2D cellular topologies are customizable and largely govern multifunctional performance. By employing robust, topological design methods, we obtain cellular material designs that are characterized by ranged sets of design specifications with topologies that reliably meet a set of design requirements and are relatively simple and robust to anticipated variability.

Author(s):  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
David L. McDowell ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

Prismatic cellular or honeycomb materials exhibit favorable properties for multifunctional applications such as ultra-light load bearing combined with active cooling. Since these properties are strongly dependent on the underlying cellular structure, design methods are needed for tailoring cellular topologies with customized multifunctional properties that may be unattainable with standard cell designs. Topology optimization methods are available for synthesizing the form of a cellular structure—including the size, shape, and connectivity of cell walls and the number, shape, and arrangement of cell openings—rather than specifying these features a priori. To date, the application of these methods for cellular materials design has been limited primarily to elastic and thermo-elastic properties, however, and limitations of standard topology optimization methods prevent direct application to many other phenomena such as conjugate heat transfer with internal convection. In this paper, we introduce a practical, two-stage, flexibility-based, multifunctional topology design approach for applications that require customized multifunctional properties. As part of the approach, robust topology design methods are used to design flexible cellular topology with customized structural properties. Dimensional and topological flexibility is embodied in the form of robust ranges of cell wall dimensions and robust permutations of a nominal cellular topology. The flexibility is used to improve the heat transfer characteristics of the design via addition/removal of cell walls and adjustment of cellular dimensions, respectively, without degrading structural performance. We apply the method to design stiff, actively cooled prismatic cellular materials for the combustor liners of next-generation gas turbine engines.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
David L. McDowell ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

Prismatic cellular or honeycomb materials exhibit favorable properties for multifunctional applications such as ultralight load bearing combined with active cooling. Since these properties are strongly dependent on the underlying cellular structure, design methods are needed for tailoring cellular topologies with customized multifunctional properties. Topology optimization methods are available for synthesizing the form of a cellular structure—including the size, shape, and connectivity of cell walls and openings—rather than specifying these features a priori. To date, the application of these methods for cellular materials design has been limited primarily to elastic and thermoelastic properties, and limitations of classic topology optimization methods prevent a direct application to many other phenomena such as conjugate heat transfer with internal convection. In this paper, a practical, two-stage topology design approach is introduced for applications that require customized multifunctional properties. In the first stage, robust topology design methods are used to design flexible cellular topology with customized structural properties. Dimensional and topological flexibility is embodied in the form of robust ranges of cell wall dimensions and robust permutations of a nominal cellular topology. In the second design stage, the flexibility is used to improve the heat transfer characteristics of the design via addition/removal of cell walls and adjustment of cellular dimensions without degrading structural performance. The method is applied to design stiff, actively cooled prismatic cellular materials for the combustor liners of next-generation gas turbine engines.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 1285-1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
David L. McDowell ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

A paradigm shift is underway in which the classical materials selection approach in engineering design is being replaced by the design of material structure and processing paths on a hierarchy of length scales for multifunctional performance requirements. In this paper, the focus is on designing mesoscopic material topology—the spatial arrangement of solid phases and voids on length scales larger than microstructures but smaller than the characteristic dimensions of an overall product. A robust topology design method is presented for designing materials on mesoscopic scales by topologically and parametrically tailoring them to achieve properties that are superior to those of standard or heuristic designs, customized for large-scale applications, and less sensitive to imperfections in the material. Imperfections are observed regularly in cellular material mesostructure and other classes of materials because of the stochastic influence of feasible processing paths. The robust topology design method allows us to consider these imperfections explicitly in a materials design process. As part of the method, guidelines are established for modeling dimensional and topological imperfections, such as tolerances and cracked cell walls, as deviations from intended material structure. Also, as part of the method, robust topology design problems are formulated as compromise Decision Support Problems, and local Taylor-series approximations and strategic experimentation techniques are established for evaluating the impact of dimensional and topological imperfections, respectively, on material properties. Key aspects of the approach are demonstrated by designing ordered, prismatic cellular materials with customized elastic properties that are robust to dimensional tolerances and topological imperfections.


Author(s):  
Trung B. Pham ◽  
Christopher Hoyle ◽  
Brian Bay

Recent years have seen the emergence of topology optimization as one of the most active research areas of structural optimization, with a broad range of promising applications in engineering design. Uncertainty is ubiquitous in real-world situations, which affects design solutions profoundly. This paper proposes a method to integrate topology optimization of static continuum structures with robust design optimization under uncertain load positions. To model the robust design problem, a multi-objective optimization formulation is posed, in which both the expectancy and the standard deviation of the structural compliance are minimized with weighting factors. Next a density based method, called Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization, and the Method of Moving Asymptotes are employed to output the robust structural topology. Numerical examples implemented in Matlab are then utilized to illustrate the proposed method, investigate outcomes of the robust design methodology against deterministic one, and confirm that the resulting designs are robust. Nodal displacements are compared between robust and deterministic solutions.


Author(s):  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
David L. McDowell ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

A paradigm shift is underway in which the classical materials selection approach in engineering design is being replaced by the design of material structure and processing paths on a hierarchy of length scales for multifunctional performance requirements. In this paper, the focus is on designing mesoscopic material topology—the spatial arrangement of solid phases and voids on length scales larger than microstructures but smaller than the characteristic dimensions of an overall product. A robust topology design method is presented for designing materials on mesoscopic scales by topologically and parametrically tailoring them to achieve properties that are superior to those of standard or heuristic designs, customized for large-scale applications, and less sensitive to imperfections in the material. Imperfections are observed regularly in cellular material mesostructure and other classes of materials because of the stochastic nature of process-structure-property relationships. The robust topology design method allows us to consider imperfections explicitly in a materials design process. As part of the method, guidelines are established for modeling dimensional and topological imperfections, such as tolerances and cracked cell walls, as deviations from intended material structure. Also, as part of the method, robust topology design problems are formulated as compromise Decision Support Problems, and local Taylor-series approximations and strategic experimentation techniques are established for evaluating the impact of dimensional and topological imperfections, respectively, on material properties. Key aspects of the approach are demonstrated by designing ordered, prismatic cellular materials with customized elastic properties that are robust to dimensional tolerances and topological imperfections.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1080-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Wiberg ◽  
Johan Persson ◽  
Johan Ölvander

Purpose This paper aims to review recent research in design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), including additive manufacturing (AM) terminology, trends, methods, classification of DfAM methods and software. The focus is on the design engineer’s role in the DfAM process and includes which design methods and tools exist to aid the design process. This includes methods, guidelines and software to achieve design optimization and in further steps to increase the level of design automation for metal AM techniques. The research has a special interest in structural optimization and the coupling between topology optimization and AM. Design/methodology/approach The method used in the review consists of six rounds in which literature was sequentially collected, sorted and removed. Full presentation of the method used could be found in the paper. Findings Existing DfAM research has been divided into three main groups – component, part and process design – and based on the review of existing DfAM methods, a proposal for a DfAM process has been compiled. Design support suitable for use by design engineers is linked to each step in the compiled DfAM process. Finally, the review suggests a possible new DfAM process that allows a higher degree of design automation than today’s process. Furthermore, research areas that need to be further developed to achieve this framework are pointed out. Originality/value The review maps existing research in design for additive manufacturing and compiles a proposed design method. For each step in the proposed method, existing methods and software are coupled. This type of overall methodology with connecting methods and software did not exist before. The work also contributes with a discussion regarding future design process and automation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-120
Author(s):  
Shabana Bibi ◽  
Yuan-Bing Wang ◽  
De-Xiang Tang ◽  
Mohammad Amjad Kamal ◽  
Hong Yu

: Some species of Cordyceps sensu lato are famous Chinese herbs with significant biological activities, often used as edible food and traditional medicine in China. Cordyceps represents the largest entomopathogenic group of fungi, including 40 genera and 1339 species in three families and incertae sedis of Hypocreales. Objective: Most of the Cordyceps-derivatives have been approved clinically for the treatment of various diseases such as diabetes, cancers, inflammation, cardiovascular, renal and neurological disorders and are used worldwide as supplements and herbal drugs, but there is still need for highly efficient Cordyceps-derived drugs for fatal diseases with approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Methods: Computer-aided drug design concepts could improve the discovery of putative Cordyceps- derived medicine within less time and low budget. The integration of computer-aided drug design methods with experimental validation has contributed to the successful discovery of novel drugs. Results: This review focused on modern taxonomy, active metabolites, and modern drug design techniques that could accelerate conventional drug design and discovery of Cordyceps s. l. Successful application of computer-aided drug design methods in Cordyceps research has been discussed. Conclusion: It has been concluded that computer-aided drug design techniques could influence the multiple target-focused drug design, because each metabolite of Cordyceps has shown significant activities for the various diseases with very few or no side effects.


Author(s):  
Warren Brown

This paper details further progress made in the PVRC project “Development of Improved Flange Design Method for the ASME VIII, Div.2 Rewrite Project” presented during the panel session on flange design at the 2006 PVP conference in Vancouver. The major areas of flange design improvement indicated by that project are examined and the suggested solutions for implementing the improved methods into the Code are discussed. Further analysis on aspects such as gasket creep and the use of leakage-based design has been conducted. Shortcomings in the proposed ASME flange design method (ASME BFJ) and current CEN flange design methods (EN-1591) are highlighted and methods for resolution of these issues are suggested.


Author(s):  
Jan Schumann ◽  
Ulrich Harbecke ◽  
Daniel Sahnen ◽  
Thomas Polklas ◽  
Peter Jeschke ◽  
...  

The subject of the presented paper is the validation of a design method for HP and IP steam turbine stages. Common design processes have been operating with simplified design methods in order to quickly obtain feasible stage designs. Therefore, inaccuracies due to assumptions in the underlying methods have to be accepted. The focus of this work is to quantify the inaccuracy of a simplified design method compared to 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Short computing time is very convenient in preliminary design; therefore, common design methods work with a large degree of simplification. The origin of the presented analysis is a mean line design process, dealing with repeating stage conditions. Two features of the preliminary design are the stage efficiency, based on loss correlations, and the mechanical strength, obtained by using the beam theory. Due to these simplifications, only a few input parameters are necessary to define the primal stage geometry and hence, the optimal design can easily be found. In addition, by using an implemented law to take the radial equilibrium into account, the appropriate twist of the blading can be defined. However, in comparison to the real radial distribution of flow angles, this method implies inaccuracies, especially in regions of secondary flow. In these regions, twisted blades, developed by using the simplified radial equilibrium, will be exposed to a three-dimensional flow, which is not considered in the design process. The analyzed design cases show that discrepancies at the hub and shroud section do exist, but have minor effects. Even the shroud section, with its thinner leading-edge, is not vulnerable to these unanticipated flow angles.


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