Geometry and Optimization Techniques for Structural Design

The emergence of modern solid modelling systems and geometry-based applications, such as automatic mesh generation techniques, has encouraged the design community to focus their efforts on exploiting these relatively new technologies for the optimal design of structures. In addition, the use of formal optimization methods in multidisciplinary systems has emerged as a major area of research interest, primarily due to an increased awareness of the potential gains from the use of these methods in realistic design problems. Much of the literature available on the key technologies - geometry modelling, optimization and CAD applications - provides a focused view of a particular technology alone without taking a broader perspective of the entire design process. This book represents an attempt to expose the CAD community to the various islands of technology that constitute the design process. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive approach to structural design, including geometry representation for structural domains, automated techniques for finite element modelling, coupling self-adaptive techniques with finite element models, optimization, design sensitivity analysis and integration of optimization techniques with geometry models for a fully automated structural design system. It also addresses real world design situations related to approximation concepts for computational efficiency and multi-criterion and multidisciplinary structural design optimization. This book is intended to be used as a reference book by researchers and graduate students, along with CAD/CAM system developers and designers with primary interests in the area of geometry and optimization-based applications, and the integration of the two techniqes for automated design.

Table of Contents:
Evaluation of geometry representation schemes, J. Rossignac; theory and practice of non-manifold geometry modelling, I. Zeid; an advanced representational framework for geometry within non-manifold topology environment, E. Levent Gursoz and F. Prinz; Delaunay triangulations for structural analysis, D. Field; automatic mesh generation techniques for structural domains, M. Saxena; self-adaptive FEM procedures based on hierarchical substructuring and multigrid analysis, R. Perusshio; adaptive schemes for structural optimization, N. Kikuchi; design sensitivity analysis in structural optimization, K. Yamazaki; approximation concepts for structural design optimization, G.N. Vanderplaats; structural shape design optimization, S. Kodiyalam; global and multi-criterion optimization, S. Hernandez; multidisciplinary structural design optimization, P. Hajela.