Assessment of the effect of topological optimization of metal parts

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the efficiency of using the “Shape optimization” option in the Fusion 360 software product of the American company Autodesk for the details of the braking system of a mining electric locomotive. Methodology. With the advent of modern computer programs, the content of the design engineer’s work has changed, the design process has been reduced to the development of a 3D model of a metal product, which can then be subject to stress-strain analysis and, based on the results of this analysis, low-stress areas of the product which can be removed are be determined, that is, the weight of the metal used is reduced. Of particular importance is generative design, which is a new design technology. It is based on the use of software that can independently generate three-dimensional models that meet specified conditions without the involvement of a designer. Essentially, in the “human-machine” system, creative functions are passed to the computer, which deals well with them. The second most important technology is topological optimization (Shape optimization), which is applied to a model already developed by the designer in order to improve it. Findings. The paper presents the results of the research on reducing the weight of the parts of the braking system of the mine electric locomotive due to the topological optimization of their structures in the Fusion 360 software product. The removal of unloaded areas of the product was performed using the special option “Shape optimization” of this program.The effect of weight reduction in products after topological optimization is estimated to be approximately 35-45%. Originality. The use of topological optimization in the details of the braking system of the mining electric locomotive is a new approach to optimizing the structure and obtaining parts of reduced mass. Practicalvalue. The application of topological optimization at the design stage helps to find a construction design option with the most rational distribution of material and voids in a given area taking into account strength and stiffness, and, thus, significantly reduce its weight.