Study on Topology Optimum Design of Middle Pan

At present the study on the application of the topology optimum design in scraper conveyor is still under development. In this paper the topology optimization based on the Solid Isotropic Material Penalization (SIMP) is applied to the design of the middle pan, which can provide a valuable conceptual design scheme for the selection of the middle pan pattern. In conjunction with the homogenization theory and Finite Element Method (FEA), the mathematical models for designing the middle pan by maximizing the rigidity are developed in this paper. By applying the topology optimum design to the middle pan, the topology optimization based on the SIMP method is proved to be reliable and practical at the conceptual design stage of middle pan.