Dynamic topology optimization incorporating the material anisotropy feature for 3D printed fiber composite structures

Abstract

For additive manufacturing of fiber-reinforced composites, integrated structural topology optimization and deposition path planning is critical in capturing the anisotropic material feature for designing dynamic performance-oriented structures. Hence, this paper proposes a concurrent optimization method for simultaneously optimizing the structural topology and the fiber deposition path. The Solid Orthotropic Materials with Penalization (SOMP) is adopted for interpolating the constitutive equation. Double layers of Smoothing and Projection (DSP) are performed to distinguish the contour-offset layer from the zigzag-infilled substrate. For optimization, the dynamic compliance is adopted as the objective function and three types of dynamic forces are involved: the harmonic excitation, the non-harmonic excitation and the frequency band excitation. A wide range of numerical examples are studied to demonstrate the optimization effect. And at the end, two sets of experiments are performed to test the dynamic responses of the topology optimized and 3D printed fiber composite structures. Enhanced dynamic stability through optimization has been proved by both the numerical calculation and physical tests.