Topology algorithm built as an automaton with flexible rules

Abstract

Developing novel methods, approaches and computational techniques is essential for solving efficiently more and more demanding up-to-date engineering problems. Designing durable, light and eco-friendly structures starts at the conceptual stage, where new efficient design and optimization tools need to be implemented. Nowadays, apart from the traditional gradient-based methods applied to optimal structural and material design, innovative techniques based on versatile heuristic concepts, like for example Cellular Automata, are implemented. Cellular Automata are built to represent mechanical systems where the special local update rules are implemented to mimic the performance of complex systems. This paper presents a novel concept of flexible Cellular Automata rules and their implementation into topology optimization process. Despite a few decades of development, topology optimization still remains one of the most important research fields within the area of structural and material design. One can notice novel ideas and formulations as well as new fields of their implementation. What stimulates that progress is that the researcher community continuously works on innovative and efficient topology optimization methods and algorithms. The proposed algorithm combined with an efficient analysis system ANSYS offers a fast convergence of the topology generation process and allows obtaining well-defined final topologies.