Vibration Reduction Design with Hybrid Structures and Topology Optimization

Abstract The hybrid structures show excellent performance on vibration reduction for ship, aircraft and spacecraft designs. Meanwhile, the topology optimization is widely used for structure vibration reduction and weight control. The design of hybrid structures considering simultaneous materials selection and topology optimization are big challenges in theoretical study and engineering applications. In this paper, according to the proposed laminate component method (LCM) and solid isotropic microstructure with penalty (SIMP) method, the mathematical formulations are presented for concurrent materials selection and topology optimizations of hybrid structures. Thickness distributions of the plies in laminate components are defined as materials selection design variables by LCM method. Relative densities of elements in the components are defined as topology design variables by SIMP method. Design examples of hybrid 3-bar truss structures and hybrid floating raft with vibration reduction requirements verified the effectiveness of the presented optimization models.