Preparing Geometry and Mesh

The first step in setting up a topology optimization is to identify the design space in which to create the flow channel.

Typically you know the inlet and outlet holes through which fluid enters and leaves the channel—the design space is the intervening volume for which you need an optimized channel. This space is likely to be bounded by other components whose surfaces the new channel must avoid. Ensure that all surrounding geometric constraints are accounted for in the design space. The topology optimization process determines how the actual geometry is created by considering the specified cost function and any constraints.
  1. Set up the design space using one of the following methods:
    • Generate the geometry in 3D-CAD
    • Offset the surface of an existing part
    • Use the surface wrapper to generate an volume from the surfaces of surrounding parts. This approach is especially useful for optimizations that must avoid obstacles in the domain.
  2. Mesh the initial geometry.
    • Topology optimization works with both 2D and 3D meshes.
    • Arrange parts so that you have a distinct region in which topology optimization is applied (the design space). Provide other regions for inlet and outlet channels.
    • The trimmed cell mesher is preferred for topology optimization although any mesher is still valid.
    • To prevent the optimizer from any bias within the design space, provide an initial uniform mesh in the design space. You can activate adaptive mesh refinement for improved efficiency as the optimization proceeds.