New Scheme to Overcome Local Optima in the Voxel-Based Topology Optimization of Sheet Metal Structures

Abstract

Results from topology optimization will only be used in industry if manufacturing considerations have been taken into account. Ideally, the manufacturing processes are already integrated in the optimization process. Dienemann et. al [1] developed a scheme to optimize sheet metal structures by using the deep drawing manufacturing constraints. To do so a surface is calculated that represents the current sheet design and used to penalize the sensitivities of the voxel finite elements depending on their distance to it. This manufacturing constraint can cause the optimization to become stuck in a local optimum far off the global optimum. To prevent this, new methods that change the optimization process have been developed.

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