A study on basis functions of the parameterized level set method for topology optimization of continuums

Peng Wei, Yang Yang, Shikui Chen, Michael Yu Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In recent years, the parameterized level set method (PLSM), which rests on radial basis functions in most early work, has gained growing attention in structural optimization. However, little work has been carried out to investigate the effect of the basis functions in the parameterized level set method. This paper examines the basis functions of the parameterized level set method, including radial basis functions, B-spline functions, and shape functions in the finite element method (FEM) for topology optimization of continuums. The effects of different basis functions in the PLSM are examined by analyzing and comparing the required storage, convergence speed, computational efficiency, and optimization results, with the benchmark minimum compliance problems subject to a volume constraint. The linear basis functions show relatively satisfactory overall performance. Besides, several schemes to boost computational efficiency are proposed. The study on examples with unstructured 2D and 3D meshes can also be considered as a tentative investigation of prospective possible commercial applications of this method.

Original languageEnglish
Article number041701
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Mechanical Design, Transactions of the ASME
Volume143
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • basis functions
  • computer-aided design
  • design methodology
  • multidisciplinary design and optimization
  • parameterized level set method
  • simulation-based design
  • Topology optimization

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