Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024 - 13

MOST
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MEASUREMENT
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Figure 2. The displacement magnitude of the wheel rim model. (Image: COMSOL)
ing milling constraints reduces the design
freedom and thus the stiffness for a
given mass constraint. In this case, adding
milling constraints results in a design
that is 30 percent less stiff than it would
have been if generated with conventional
topology optimization. This compromise
is necessary in order to meet the
manufacturing requirements.
If complete design freedom were allowed,
the optimal design would generally
have the same symmetry properties
as the load cases. However, it can require
many load cases to achieve symmetry
- and a large number of load
cases can result in a high computational
cost. In this example, design symmetry
is expected since our wheel needs to be
able to rotate, but we face the challenge
of not having symmetric load cases. For
this reason, the entire wheel needs to
be modeled in every optimization iteration
in order to see how the load cases
affect the design.
To achieve symmetry here, we can enforce
sector symmetry of the design explicitly
by optimizing one of the sectors
and then copying the design over to the
other sectors during the optimization.
Similar to how using symmetry features
aided in the design of the drone model,
Tech Briefs, May 2024
this makes the process computationally
cheaper and more efficient.
In the end, we obtain an optimized design
that has good performance and still
meets the manufacturing requirements.
Conclusion
Like generative design, topology optimization
automates the design process,
enabling designers to explore options
more efficiently than with manual iteration.
Both generative design and topology
optimization can be leveraged
with the COMSOL® software, which
also provides features for customizing
automated designs so that they are suitable
for specific manufacturing methods.
These capabilities are applicable
to all fields of engineering and scientific
research and for any physics area,
including structural mechanics, fluid
flow, heat transfer, and acoustics. For
instance, the software's topology optimization
capabilities are actively being
used in the automotive industry for the
design of electric motors.
COMSOL and COMSOL Multiphysics are
registered trademarks of COMSOL AB.
This article was written by Beth Beaudry,
COMSOL, Inc. (Burlington, MA). For
more information, visit www.comsol.com.
www.techbriefs.com
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Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024

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