Advanced
search

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Robust topology optimization for continuum structures with random loads

Jie Liu (School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, China and Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia)
Guilin Wen (School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, China and Jupiter Original Ecology Science and Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd., Changsha, China)
Qixiang Qing (State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, China)
Fangyi Li (School of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China)
Yi Min Xie (Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia and XIE Archi-Structure Design (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China)

Engineering Computations

ISSN: 0264-4401

Article publication date: 16 April 2018

443

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to tackle the challenge topic of continuum structural layout in the presence of random loads and to develop an efficient robust method.

Design/methodology/approach

An innovative robust topology optimization approach for continuum structures with random applied loads is reported. Simultaneous minimization of the expectation and the variance of the structural compliance is performed. Uncertain load vectors are dealt with by using additional uncertain pseudo random load vectors. The sensitivity information of the robust objective function is obtained approximately by using the Taylor expansion technique. The design problem is solved using bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization method with the derived sensitivity numbers.

Findings

The numerical examples show the significant topological changes of the robust solutions compared with the equivalent deterministic solutions.

Originality/value

A simple yet efficient robust topology optimization approach for continuum structures with random applied loads is developed. The computational time scales linearly with the number of applied loads with uncertainty, which is very efficient when compared with Monte Carlo-based optimization method.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The first author is partially supported by scholarship No. 201506130053 of China Scholarship Council. This work was supported jointly by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in China (No. 11225212) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11072074, 11302033). The authors also would like to thank the Collaborative Innovation Center of Intelligent New Energy Vehicle, the Hunan Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Car and the “Chair Professor of Lotus Scholars Program” in Hunan province. The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their comments on the paper.

Citation

Liu, J., Wen, G., Qing, Q., Li, F. and Xie, Y.M. (2018), "Robust topology optimization for continuum structures with random loads", Engineering Computations, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 710-732. https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-10-2016-0369

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles

Manage cookies

We’re listening — tell us what you think

Join us on our journey