• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.111-126
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• 1999

The work presented here focuses on the development of suitable discretised formulations, for large-displacement shape and non-shape design sensitivity analysis (DSA), which enable the straightforward incorporation of structural optimisation into established finite element analysis (FEA) codes. For the generalised displacement-based functional the design sensitivity vector has been expressed in terms of displacement sensitivity. The Total Lagrangian formulation is utilised for modelling of large deformation of truss structures. The variational formulation of the sensitivity analysis procedure is discretised by using "pseudo" - finite elements, Results are presented for the sensitivity analysis and optimisation of standard truss structures. For the purposes of this work, the analysis and optimisation procedures outlined below are incorporated into the FEA code ABAQUS.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.385-404
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• 2018

The study investigated an area of sustainable structural design that is often overlooked in practical engineering applications. Specifically, a novel method to simultaneously optimise the cost and embodied carbon performance of steel building structures was explored in this paper. To achieve this, a parametric design model was developed to analyse code compliant structural configurations based on project specific constraints and rigorous testing of various steel beam sections, floor construction typologies (precast or composite) and column layouts that could not be performed manually by engineering practitioners. Detailed objective functions were embedded in the model to compute the cost and life cycle carbon emissions of the different material types used in the structure. Results from a comparative numerical analysis of a real case study illustrated that the proposed optimisation approach could guide structural engineers towards areas of the solution space with realistic design configurations, enabling them to effectively evaluate trade-offs between cost and carbon performance. This significant contribution implied that the optimisation model could reduce the time required for the design and analysis of multiple structural configurations especially during the early stages of a project. Overall, the paper suggested that the deployment of automated design procedures can enhance the quality as well as the efficiency of the optimisation analysis.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.273-281
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• 2017

In this work, a comparative study of multi-objective meta-heuristics (MOMHs) for optimum design of a walking tractor handlebar is conducted in order to reduce the structural mass and increase structural static and dynamic stiffness. The design problem has objective functions as maximising structural natural frequencies, minimising structural mass, bending deflection and torsional deflection with stress constraints. The problem is classified as a many-objective optimisation since there are more than three objectives. Design variables are structural shape and size. Several well established multi-objective optimisers are employed to solve the proposed many-objective optimisation problems of the walking tractor handlebar. The results are compared whereas optimum design solutions of the walking tractor handlebar are illustrated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.239-268
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• 2007

This paper deals with optimal stacking sequence design of laminate composite structures. The stacking sequence optimisation of laminate composites is formulated as a combinatorial problem and is solved using Simulated Annealing (SA), an algorithm devised based on inspiration of physical process of annealing of solids. The combinatorial constraints are handled using a correction strategy. The SA algorithm is strengthened by embedding Tabu search in order to prevent recycling of recently visited solutions and the resulting algorithm is referred to as tabu embedded simulated Annealing (TSA) algorithm. Computational performance of the proposed TSA algorithm is enhanced through cache-fetch implementation. Numerical experiments have been conducted by considering rectangular composite panels and composite cylindrical shell with different ply numbers and orientations. Numerical studies indicate that the TSA algorithm is quite effective in providing practical designs for lay-up sequence optimisation of laminate composites. The effect of various neighbourhood search algorithms on the convergence characteristics of TSA algorithm is investigated. The sensitiveness of the proposed optimisation algorithm for various parameter settings in simulated annealing is explored through parametric studies. Later, the TSA algorithm is employed for multi-criteria optimisation of hybrid composite cylinders for simultaneously optimising cost as well as weight with constraint on buckling load. The two objectives are initially considered individually and later collectively to solve as a multi-criteria optimisation problem. Finally, the computational efficiency of the TSA based stacking sequence optimisation algorithm has been compared with the genetic algorithm and found to be superior in performance.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.169-184
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• 2017

The optimum design of structures with frequency constraints is of great importance in the aeronautical industry. In order to avoid severe vibration, it is necessary to shift the fundamental frequency of the structure away from the frequency range of the dynamic loading. This paper develops a novel topology optimisation method for optimising the fundamental frequencies of structures. The finite element dynamic eigenvalue problem is solved to derive the sensitivity function used for the optimisation criteria. An alternative material interpolation scheme is developed and applied to the optimisation problem. A novel level-set criteria and updating routine for the weighting factors is presented to determine the optimal topology. The optimisation algorithm is applied to a simple two-dimensional plane stress plate to verify the method. Optimisation for maximising a chosen frequency and maximising the gap between two frequencies are presented. This has the application of stiffness maximisation and flutter suppression. The results of the optimisation algorithm are compared with the state of the art in frequency topology optimisation. Test cases have shown that the algorithm produces similar topologies to the state of the art, verifying that the novel technique is suitable for frequency optimisation.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.329-343
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• 2015

This study aimed to observe the effect of a novel concept (referred to as the flap extension) implemented on the leading edge of the flap of a three element high lift device. The high lift device, consisting of a flap, main element and slat is designed around an Airbus research profile for sufficient take off and landing performance of a large commercial aircraft. The concept is realised on the profile and numerically optimised to achieve an optimum geometry. Two different optimisation approaches based on Genetic Algorithm optimisations are used: a zero order approach which makes simplifying assumptions to achieve an optimised solution: as well as a direct approach which employs an optimisation in ANSYS DesignXplorer using RANS calculations. Both methods converge to different optimised solutions due to simplifying assumptions. The solution to the zero order optimisation showed a decreased stall angle and decreased maximum lift coefficient against angle of attack due to early stall onset at the flap. The DesignXplorer optimised solution matched that of the baseline solution very closely. The concept was seen to increase lift locally at the flap for both optimisation methods.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.185-199
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• 2020

A computationally-efficient method for multi-criteria optimisation is developed for performance-based seismic design of friction energy dissipation dampers in RC structures. The proposed method is based on the concept of Uniform Distribution of Deformation (UDD), where the slip-load distribution along the height of the structure is gradually modified to satisfy multiple performance targets while minimising the additional loads imposed on existing structural elements and foundation. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated through optimisation of 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20-storey RC frames with friction wall dampers subjected to design representative earthquakes using single and multi-criteria optimisation scenarios. The optimum design solutions are obtained in only a few steps, while they are shown to be independent of the selected initial slip loads and convergence factor. Optimum frames satisfy all predefined design targets and exhibit up to 48% lower imposed loads compared to designs using a previously proposed slip-load distribution. It is also shown that dampers designed with optimum slip load patterns based on a set of spectrum-compatible synthetic earthquakes, on average, provide acceptable design solutions under multiple natural seismic excitations representing the design spectrum.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.633-641
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• 1998

Finite element solutions are presented for the optimal design of symmetrically laminated rectangular plates with various types of internal line supports. These plates are subject to a combination of simply supported, clamped and free boundary conditions. The design objective is the maximisation of the biaxial buckling load. This is achieved by determining the fibre orientations optimally with the effects of bending-twisting coupling taken into account. The finite element method coupled with an optimisation routine is employed in analysing and optimising the laminated plate designs. The effect of internal line support type and boundary conditions on the optimal ply angles and the buckling load are numerically studied. The laminate behavior with respect to fibre orientation changes significantly in the presence of internal line supports as compared to that of a laminate where there is no internal supporting. This change in behavior has significant implications for design optimisation as the optimal values of design variables with or without internal supporting differ substantially.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.661-669
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• 2018

Engineering system problems consist of multi-objective optimisation and the performance analysis is generally time consuming. To optimise the system concerning its performance, many researchers perform the optimisation using an approximation model. The Response Surface Method (RSM) is usually used to predict the system performance in many research fields, but it shows prediction errors for highly nonlinear problems. To create an appropriate metamodel for marine systems, Lee (2015) compares the prediction accuracy of the approximation model, and multi-objective optimal design framework is proposed based on a confirmed approximation model. The proposed framework is composed of three parts: definition of geometry, generation of approximation model, and optimisation. The major objective of this paper is to confirm the applicability/usability of the proposed optimal design framework and evaluate the prediction accuracy based on sensitivity analysis. We have evaluated the proposed framework applicability in derrick structure optimisation considering its structural performance.

• Journal of international Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.349-355
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• 2013

This paper presents the multi-objective optimisation of an Inductive Coupled Power Transfer (ICPT) device. A setup as complicated as the one at hand in this paper is extremely hard to model analytically. To acquire some knowledge about the influence of the geometric factors, a sensitivity analysis is first performed using design of experiment (DoE) and finite-element modelling (FEM). It allows validating that the choice of the free factors is relevant. This being done, the optimisation itself is performed using a genetic algorithm (GA), with two objectives and a strict functioning constraint.