Shape Optimization

Introduction to Shape Optimization

The efficiency and reliability of manufactured products depend on, among other things, geometrical aspects; it is therefore not surprising that optimal shape design problems have attracted the interest of applied mathematicians and engineers. This self-contained, elementary introduction to the mathematical and computational aspects of sizing and shape optimization enables readers to gain a firm understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects so they may confidently enter this field. Introduction to Shape Optimization: Theory, Approximation, and Computation treats sizing and shape optimization comprehensively, covering everything from mathematical theory (existence analysis, discretizations, and convergence analysis for discretized problems) through computational aspects (sensitivity analysis, numerical minimization methods) to industrial applications. Applications include contact stress minimization for elasto-plastic bodies, multidisciplinary optimization of an airfoil, and shape optimization of a dividing tube. By presenting sizing and shape optimization in an abstract way, the authors are able to use a unified approach in the mathematical analysis for a large class of optimization problems in various fields of physics. Audience: the book is written primarily for students of applied mathematics, scientific computing, and mechanics. Most of the material is directed toward graduate students, although a portion of it is suitable for senior undergraduate students. Readers are assumed to have some knowledge of partial differential equations and their numerical solution, as well as modern programming language such as C++ Fortran 90.

Shape Optimization by the Homogenization Method

The topic of this book is homogenization theory and its applications to optimal design in the conductivity and elasticity settings. Its purpose is to give a self-contained account of homogenization theory and explain how it applies to solving optimal design problems, from both a theoretical and a numerical point of view. The application of greatest practical interest tar geted by this book is shape and topology optimization in structural design, where this approach is known as the homogenization method. Shape optimization amounts to finding the optimal shape of a domain that, for example, would be of maximal conductivity or rigidity under some specified loading conditions (possibly with a volume or weight constraint). Such a criterion is embodied by an objective function and is computed through the solution of astate equation that is a partial differential equa tion (modeling the conductivity or the elasticity of the structure). Apart from those areas where the loads are applied, the shape boundary is al ways assumed to support Neumann boundary conditions (i. e. , isolating or traction-free conditions). In such a setting, shape optimization has a long history and has been studied by many different methods. There is, therefore, a vast literat ure in this field, and we refer the reader to the following short list of books, and references therein [39], [42], [130], [135], [149], [203], [220], [225], [237], [245], [258].

Profile Optimization Method for Robust Airfoil Shape Optimization in Viscous Flow