Abstract: Adaptive growth technique is a structural topology design optimization method based on the growth mechanism of the branch systems in nature. Currently, its iterative scheme in the optimization process is heuristic so that the design result depends on some parameters and cannot converge to the volume constraint. In order to break through the limitations of the current adaptive growth technique, a new approach with an optimization criterion and an analytical iteration formula is suggested based on KKT (Karush-Kuhn-Tucker) optimality condition. The cross sectional areas of the stiffeners are selected to be the design variables and minimizing the compliance of plate/shell structures is the design objective. Some typical design examples on single or multi loading conditions are demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the suggested method. The results show that the suggested new method overcomes the shortcomings of the current adaptive growth technique, and can result in distinct distributed stiffener layouts of plate/shell structures. It is expected that the method can be applied to the stiffener layout design problems under a variety of loading conditions.

Key words: bionic design;KKT condition;optimality criterion;stiffener layout;plate/shell structures