
Topology Optimization of 3D-printed Structures under Dynamic Loading with Manufacturing Constraints
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Additive manufacturing enables the creation of highly complex geometries that would be difficult, time-consuming, or impossible to produce using conventional methods. Topology optimization, on the other hand, helps generate these complex designs, accounting for multiple factors such as loading conditions, material constraints, and structural integrity, leading to shapes that are optimized for required applications. Combining topology optimization with additive manufacturing is a powerful strategy that significantly enhances the design and production of components in real-world engineering applications that are both functionally optimized and manufacturable. Our work focuses on the topology optimization of the structures undergoing dynamic excitations while incorporating relevant manufacturing constraints. The goal is to design an optimal structural layout that efficiently handles steady dynamic forces while minimizing weight and ensuring structural integrity. Also, within the optimization loops, the design accounts for geometric limitations of additive manufacturing by means of constraints related to build orientation, overhangs, support structures, and material properties, which influence the manufacturability and performance of the final products. The capability of the developed framework is demonstrated in the design of an integrated support for a satellite, which will be produced by additive manufacturing. The objective is to minimize the acceleration and stress experienced by the instrument mounted on the support while integrating manufacturing constraints to ensure support manufacturability. This framework is implemented in our in-house software MORFEO, in which dynamic response analysis is performed using the harmonic balance method [1]. REFERENCES [1] Detroux, T., Renson, L., Masset, L., & Kerschen, G. (2015). The harmonic balance method for bifurcation analysis of large-scale nonlinear mechanical systems. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 296, 18-38.