Isosurface-based marching cube algorithm for smooth geometric topology optimization within adaptive octree SBFE approach

Abstract

In the era of Industry 4.0, the prominence of 3D printing as a pivotal manufacturing technology has greatly expanded, particularly within the domain of additive manufacturing (AM). Among the thriving research applications tailored for integration with AM, topology optimization (TO) has emerged as a resounding success. Given the prerequisite of TO for high-resolution meshing to ensure visual clarity in result depiction, researchers have been consistently driven to develop advanced techniques to refine optimal designs, thus elevating the challenge and popularity within this research realm. This paper presents a novel approach integrating an adaptive image-based octree mesh scaled boundary finite element (SBFE) framework with an evolutionary methodology that can effectively address the persistent challenges inherent to TO. A novel hierarchical SBFE mesh analysis not only facilitates efficient and precise TO but also substantially reduces computational resource demands. Furthermore, the pre-conditioned conjugated gradient (PCG) method is adopted to process practical-scale problems, minimizing computer memory resources. Additionally, the proposed work incorporates a post-processing technique utilizing the isosurface function based on a marching cube algorithm, thereby smoothing the boundaries of optimal results. Consequently, this research extends the horizons of design possibilities, particularly in the creation of intricate 3D structures, which can be seamlessly realized through additive manufacturing and 3D printing.