Abstract
A method for shape design sensitivity analysis is proposed utilizing commercial software ANSYS for thermal conduction problems. While the sensitivity formula is derived analytically by introduing adjoint variable concept, sensitivity calculation in practice as well as the primal and adjoint solution of thermal conduction is performed using the ANSYS very easily. Since the formula always takes boundary integral form, sensitivity evaluation in ANSYS requires a little more addition of post-processing routine which involves evaluation of boundary variable from the obtained solution. Though the BEM has been used as a better tool for this purpose, the present study shows it can also be calculated using any kind of analysis code such as ANSYS since the formula is based on analytic nature. Therefore the present study provides a new and efficient way of optimization which was not possible before using commercial software. The usefulness of the method is illustrated via a weight minimization problem of thermal diffuser.