Researchers: Krister Svanberg and Henrik Svärd.
Sponsor: The Swedish Research Council (VR) and Scania CV AB
This project concerns the optimal design of structures experiencing
mechanical fatigue due to cyclic loading.
It is generally accepted that
a vast majority of mechanical failures in everyday engineering
applications can be attributed to fatigue,
and many
theories have been proposed for design purposes to predict fatigue
of a given structure subjected to known loads.
Structural optimization is emerging as an important tool in industry
in the design process of mechanically loaded structures.
A typical
application is to minimize the weight of a structure, given a
constraint on the maximal mechanical complicance.
However, very few
attempts have been made to consider local constraints pertaining to
fatigue, despite the fact that the success
of a mechanical structure
often hinges on its ability to withstand fatigue loading.
The aim of this project is to develop mathematical models and efficient
optimization methods for large-scale problems concerning
structures
experiencing fatigue loading.