Evolutionary Structural Optimization in Problems of Fluid-Structure Interaction

Abstract

The main objective of this project is the development of a computational tool for analysis and design of multiphysical systems with fluid-structure interaction. It is intended to develop a methodology for evolutionary optimization methods associated with the Finite Element Method in structural, fluidic and acoustic coupled problems. The aim is to obtain a numerical tool for topology optimization of fluid-structure systems. The heuristic methods ESO/BESO (Evolutionary Structural Optimization/Bi-directional Evolutionary Structural Optimization) of evolutionary topology optimization will be studied considering static and dynamic criteria with their respective constraints, i.e., of displacements and forces for the solid field and the flow for the fluid field. The classic method SIMP, based on mathematical programming techniques, will be also implemented to this kind of application and compared with the proposed evolutionary methodology. This proposal also concerns about the use of hexagonal finite element meshes in order to eliminate checkerboard problems and to obtain topologies with smoother contours. The applications proposed for this study are wide. Emphasis will be given to cases with representative models of fluid-structure coupled systems for compressible and incompressible fluids, micro-fluidic systems, dynamic analysis of tanks/reservoirs and added mass problems in submerged structures.