International Journal of CAD/CAM
- Volume 7 Issue 1
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- Pages.11-20
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- 2007
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- 1598-1800(pISSN)
Smooth Boundary Topology Optimization Using B-spline and Hole Generation
- Lee, Soo-Bum (Department of Mechanical Engineering 1174 Engineering Lab. University of Maryland College Park) ;
- Kwak, Byung-Man (Department of Mechanical Engineering 1174 Engineering Lab. University of Maryland College Park) ;
- Kim, Il-Yong (Department of mechanical and materials engineering, Queen's University)
- Published : 2007.12.31
Abstract
A topology optimization methodology, named "smooth boundary topology optimization," is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of cell-based methods. Material boundary is represented by B-spline curves and their control points are considered as design variables. The design is improved by either creating a hole or moving control points. To determine which is more beneficial, a selection criterion is defined. Once determined to create a hole, it is represented by a new B-spline and recognized as a new boundary. Because the proposed method deals with the control points of B-spline as design variables, their total number is much smaller than cell-based methods and it ensures smooth boundaries. Differences between our method and level set method are also discussed. It is shown that our method is a natural way of obtaining smooth boundary topology design effectively combining computer graphics technique and design sensitivity analysis.
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