关键词: 仿生设计, 加筋薄壳结构, 拓扑优化, 最小柔顺度

Abstract: The growth mechanism of root system in nature is applied to the research of the topology design optimization technique for stiffened thin-wall shell structures. The process of the stiffener generation on a thin-wall shell structure can be regarded as a gradual growth process to achieve a global optimum by adapting to the local working condition, which is similar to the growth process of root system of plants. The design criterion of the stiffener layout on thin-wall shell structures is suggested on the basis of the growth mechanism of root system morphology, i.e., the growth direction and velocity of a stiffener are decided by its design sensitivity, which is the derivation of the strain energy with respect to its cross-sectional area in the case of the minimum compliance design problem. The numerical results of stiffened thin-wall cylindrical shell are illustrated, and validated by the finite element analysis. The suggested design method is simpler and more effective than the conventional methods, and it is more applicable to the practical problem because the result is legible distribution of the stiffeners rather than the vague density distribution. The design results can be used to the initial optimum models in the further detail design process.

Key words: Bionic design, Minimum compliance, Stiffened thin-wall shell, Topology optimization