Domain Composition Method for Structural Optimization

Conventionally, design domain of topology optimization is predefined and is not adjusted in the design optimization process since designers are required to specify the design domain in advance. However, it is difficult for a fixed design domain to satisfy design requirements such as domain sizing adjustment or boundaries change. In this paper, Domain Composition Method (DCM) for structural optimization is presented and it deals with the design domain adjustment and the material distribution optimization in one framework. Instead of treating design domain as a whole, DCM divides domain into several subdomains. Additional scaling factors and subdomain transformations are applied to describe changes between different designs. It then composites subdomains and solve it as a whole in the updated domain. Based on the domain composition, static analysis with DCM and sensitivity analysis are derived. Consequently, the design domain and the topology of the structure are optimized simultaneously. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed DCM for structural optimization is demonstrated through different numerical examples.