The Improved Hybrid Discretization Model for the Discrete Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms
In the discrete topology optimization, material state is either solid or void and there is no topology uncertainty problem caused by any intermediate material state. In this paper, the improved hybrid discretization model is introduced for the discrete topology optimization of compliant mechanisms. The design domain is discretized into quadrilateral design cells and each quadrilateral design cell is further subdivided into triangular analysis cells. The dangling and redundant solid design cells are removed from topology solutions in the improved hybrid discretization model to promote the material utilization. To make the designed compliant mechanisms safe, the local stress constraint is directly imposed on each triangular analysis cell. To circumvent the geometrical bias against the vertical design cells, the binary bit-array genetic algorithm is used to search for the optimal topology. Two topology optimization examples of compliant mechanisms are solved based on the proposed improved hybrid discretization model to verify its effectiveness.