Optimization and Systems Theory Seminar
Friday, March 7 2008, 11.00-12.00, Room 3721, Lindstedtsvägen 25


Mats Werme, KTH
E-mail: werme@math.kth.se

On methods for discrete topology optimization of continuum structures

This talk gives an overview of the methods and results described in my thesis. First, a short introduction of the field of topology optimization of discretized load carrying continuum structures will be given. Common to all considered problems is that the design of the structure is represented by binary design variables indicating material or void in the various finite elements. This implies that, in general, the considered problems will be nonlinear mixed integer programming problems.

Thereafter, two different methods for efficient sensitivity calculations are presented. These methods are applied in the context of neighbourhood search methods where one repeatedly jumps to the "best" neighbour of the current design until a local optimum has been found. Next, the neighbourhood search methods are generalized and the nonlinear integer programming problems are solved to provable local optimality by the use of sequential integer programming methods. The key idea in the sequential integer programming methods is to generate and solve a sequence of  "easier" subproblems where the sequence of solutions will converge to a local optimum of the original problem.

Both theoretical and numerical results will be presented.

Calendar of seminars Last update: February 4, 2008 by Marie Lundin.