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Topology optimization for additive manufacturing with self-supporting constraint

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Abstract

Topology optimization can devise structures with superior performance, while the results produced by topology optimization are often very complex and difficult to be manufactured directly. The additive manufacturing is a free-form manufacturing technique in which the component is built in a layer-by-layer manner. The integration of topology optimization and additive manufacturing technologies has the potential to bring significant synergy benefits. However, typical topology optimization algorithms have not considered the unique manufacturing limitations of additive manufacturing. This article focuses on the topology optimization for additive manufacturing considering self-supporting constraint based on the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) framework. An explicit self-supporting constraint model is constructed, and the proposed method realizes self-supported by gradual evolution of supporting structures. The corresponding sensitivity analysis is investigated, which requires less computational cost and can be solved in parallel. Besides, a directional sensitivity filter is specifically proposed to promote the evolution of supporting structures. The performance and functionality of the proposed method is illustrated with three compliance minimization problems. All cases achieve self-supported successfully, and the solutions own good manufacturability.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Krister Svanberg for the use of MMA optimizer.

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China through the 3122019166 project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Airworthiness, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, 300300, China

    Jun Zou, Yuechao Zhang & Zhenyu Feng

Authors
  1. Jun Zou
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  2. Yuechao Zhang
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  3. Zhenyu Feng
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Correspondence to Jun Zou.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Replication of results

To facilitate replication of the results presented in this paper, all parameter settings and implementation aspects have been described in detail in this paper. As the software involves other researchers’ work, we have decided not to publish the code. Researchers or interested parties are welcome to contact the authors for further explanations.

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Zou, J., Zhang, Y. & Feng, Z. Topology optimization for additive manufacturing with self-supporting constraint. Struct Multidisc Optim 63, 2341–2353 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-020-02815-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-020-02815-w

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