A new topology optimization scheme for nonlinear structures

A new topology optimization algorithm based on artificial bee colony algorithm (ABCA) was developed and applied to geometrically nonlinear structures. A finite element method and the Newton-Raphson technique were adopted for the nonlinear topology optimization. The distribution of material is expressed by the density of each element and a filter scheme was implemented to prevent a checkerboard pattern in the optimized layouts. In the application of ABCA for long structures or structures with small volume constraints, optimized topologies may be obtained differently for the same problem at each trial. The calculation speed is also very slow since topology optimization based on the roulette-wheel method requires many finite element analyses. To improve the calculation speed and stability of ABCA, a rank-based method was used. By optimizing several examples, it was verified that the developed topology scheme based on ABCA is very effective and applicable in geometrically nonlinear topology optimization problems.