Pragmatic generative optimization of novel structural lattice metamaterials with machine learning

Manufacturable insight into modelling and design considerations in fibre-steered composite laminates: state of the art and perspective

Stiffened plates are widely used in aerospace structures as load-bearing components. In order to obtain a novel design of stiffened structures with excellent performance, a generative design method of stiffened plates (GDMSP) based on the homogenization method is proposed in this paper, which optimizes the stiffener layout based on an equivalent model. Then, the detailed model can then be obtained by extracting the stiffener path from the discrete distribution of stiffener angles. Moreover, the optimized design can be obtained by size optimization based on the detailed model. Two examples are used to illustrate the proposed framework, including the stiffness maximization of a rectangle stiffener plate and the buckling load maximization of a square stiffener plate. The optimized stiffener configurations are characterized by streamlines and uniform lines, respectively. For the first example, the stiffness of the stiffener design has an improvement of 17%. For the second example, the optimized design improves the buckling load by 35%. Results indicate that the proposed method can effectively provide a novel generative design for stiffened plates. Moreover, the obtained results have a clear stiffener path and have a noticeable improvement in performance, which can be directly used to establish a detailed model.

Generative design of stiffened plates based on homogenization method

Rapid feasibility assessment of components to be formed through hot stamping: A deep learning approach

The design space for high-performance lightweight composite structures has grown considerably since the advent of the variable stiffness concept. In fact, variable stiffness composites have been found to improve buckling performance and dynamic stability, and to tune the structure’s dynamic response by tailoring structural stiffness. Thus, in order to exploit this wider design space, efficient linear analysis tools have an important role in preliminary design of variable stiffness structures, enabling designers to find more effective solutions when considering prestressed dynamically excited aerospace components. Considering this, a multi-domain Ritz method for eigenfrequency, transient and dynamic instability analysis of prestressed variable stiffness laminated doubly-curved shell structures is presented. Working within the first-order shear deformation theory, Sanders–Koiter shell kinematics allow general orthogonal surfaces to be modelled without further assumptions on the shallowness or on the thinness of the structure. The efficiency of the proposed Ritz method is granted by using Legendre orthogonal polynomials as displacement trial functions, while flexibility in modelling and design is given by penalty techniques that allow stiffened variable angle tow shell structures to be modelled as an assembly of shell-like domains. The proposed approach is verified by comparison with published benchmark results and finite element solutions. Original solutions are presented for a prestressed stiffened variable angle tow shell structure, which show great accuracy with an order of magnitude fewer variables when compared to standard finite element procedures, proving the reliability and efficiency of the present method in dealing with the dynamic analysis of multi-part aerospace structures. 

Ye Yuan

Papers

Intelligent layout design of curvilinearly stiffened panels via deep learning-based method