STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION WITH PARAMETER-TRANSFER FINITE-ELEMENT

A mathematical method to solve structural problems, using parameter-transfer finite elements (P-TFE) was recently proposed by the authors [1] [2] [3]. The proposed transfer finite element approach is able to create a mathematical model of a structure, taking into account directly the whole behaviour of the structure under dynamic, aerodynamic, and thermal actions, and not by assembling, in a separate fashion, the stiffness and the mass matrix on one side and the external load vector as performed by the classical finite element procedure. The purpose of this paper is to apply the above methodology to optimization problems, in particular to obtain the minimum structural weight for a beam, under primary constraints on buckling load or natural frequencies. The use of P-TFE in the field of structural optimization overcomes most difficulties of the usual techniques of solution and the element is particularly useful in the evaluation of the sensitivity matrix. The formulation of the optimization problem based on P-TFE is presented and some applications are studied. The numerical results obtained are compared with other existing methodologies and briefly discussed.