A Fail-Safe Topology Optimization Method for Structures Under Dynamic Loads Available to Purchase

This article introduces a fail-safe topology optimization method for structural design under dynamic loads. Fail-safe topology optimization strategically embeds redundancy within efficiency-driven structures, preventing catastrophic failure through alternative load paths. However, this typically involves massive failure scenarios, where each scenario involves a finite element analysis, thus making the topology optimization process time-consuming. On the other hand, structures are often subjected to dynamic loads. When conducting fail-safe topology optimization considering load variation in time span, the computational burden will be even prohibitively intensive due to the increasing transient analysis by orders in the two-dimensional space of failure scenario and time span. To address this, this article employs an equivalent static load method to convert dynamic loads into equivalent static loads which are applied to the fail-safe topology optimization design, showing a 62% decrease in the computational time, which is a significant improvement in efficiency compared with traditional methods. Three numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method, showing that optimized structures exhibit enhanced resistance to stiffness loss when partial failures occur. Additionally, the study demonstrates that the size of the partial damage patch chosen at the design stage influences the optimization results. Structures perform more effectively when the actual damage closely matches the size and characteristics of the damage used in the design. The developed design algorithm provides an efficient tool for optimizing structures to withstand dynamic loads with the influences of potential partial failure considered.