Design Optimization

Problem Description: Determine if weight reduction pockets can be generated in the L-shaped structure shown
below. The structure is 2 mm thick and is made of structural steel. The boundary and loading conditions are
specified as follows: A downward force of 300 N is applied at the bottom edge of the free end, and the top face
of the L-shape is fixed.

The allowed maximum

deformation in the structure is
0.3 mm. A) Perform topology
optimization to achieve 75%
weight reduction. B) Redesign
the structure based on the results
from topology optimization, and
conduct parametric optimization
to minimize weight subject to the
deformation constraint

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Learning Objectives

When you finished you should be able to:

1. Understand the basic concepts in design optimization and

the steps in conducting an optimization of a design with the
FEA

2. 2. Perform optimization of structure designs using ANSYS

Workbench

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 1: Start an ANSYS Workbench Project
Launch ANSYS Workbench and save the blank project as ‘Lshape.wbpj’.
Step 2: Create a Static Structural Analysis System
Drag the Static Structural icon from the Analysis Systems Toolbox window and drop it inside the highlighted green
rectangle in the Project Schematic window.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 3: Launch the SpaceClaim Program
Double-click the Geometry cell to launch the SpaceClaim program. To customize units, click
SpaceClaim Options from the File drop-down menu shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Mouse over x-y plane and click to select the highlighted x-y plane. This will change the sketch plane from the default x-
z plane (shown above) to the x-y plane (shown below).

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click Sketch Mode on the Design tab to begin a sketch. Click on the Line icon. Draw a sketch of the L- shape
on the XY Plane, as shown below. To draw a line, click a start point and then an end point in the sketch grid.

The horizontal distance is

35mm between Points 1 and
2, and 15mm between
Points 5 and 6, respectively.

The vertical distance is 35mm

between Points 1 and 6, and
15mm between Points 2 and
3, respectively. When
necessary, press the Esc key
to end the line creation.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Home icon for home Window and click on the Pull icon. Click on the L-shape surface from the Graphics
Window and pull the surface along z-axis.

While pulling the

surface, type 2mm in
the text box for
distance, and hit the
Enter key. A 2mm thick
solid body will be
created, as shown
below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 5: Launch the Static Structural Program
Double-click on the Model cell to launch the Static Structural program.
Change the Units to Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA).

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 6: Generate Mesh
Click on Mesh in the Outline tree. In the Details of “Mesh”, enter’1.0’ for 1mm for the Element Size. Right-click on Mesh
and select Generate Mesh.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 7: Apply Boundary Conditions
Right-click on Static Structural (A5). Choose Insert and then Fixed Support from the context menu.

Click on the top face

and apply it to the
Geometry selection in
the Details of “Fixed
Support”.

The top face of the L-

shape is now fixed as
shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 8: Apply Loads
Right-click on Static Structural (A5). Choose Insert and then Force. In the Details of “Force”, change Define By to
Components. Apply a -300 N force for Y Component to the bottom edge of the rightmost face, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Step 9: Retrieve Solution
Insert a Total Deformation item by right-clicking on Solution (A6) in the Outline tree.
Insert an Equivalent Stress item by right-clicking on Solution (A6) in the Outline tree.

Right-click on
Solution (A6) in the
Outline tree and
select Solve. The
program will start to
solve the model.
After completion,
click Total
Deformation in the
Outline to review
the total deformation
results.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Select Equivalent Stress in the Outline to review the von-Mises stress distribution. As we can see from the stress
results, there is a large area of blue which means the equivalent stress in this area is almost zero.

Therefore, we can
optimize the L-
shaped structure to
reduce the overall
mass and just keep
the material that is
required. Exit the
Static Structural
program.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 10: Launch the Topology Optimization
Drag the Topology Optimization icon from the Analysis Systems Toolbox and drop it onto
the Solution cell of the highlighted Static Structural system in the Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
This will share data from the Static Structural analysis and create a Topology Optimization analysis. Double-click
on the Setup cell to launch the Topology Optimization interface.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 11: Setup the Topology Optimization
In the Multiple Systems program that launches, note that Topology Optimization already excluded the regions of the
Boundary Conditions from the optimization problem, and it chose the full body of the L-shape as the Design
Region by default. Accept this default setup.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
For the Objective, the default setup is to minimize the Compliance, which is equivalent
to maximize the structural stiffness. Accept this default setup.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
For the Response Constraint, we can choose exactly what response we want to add constraints, e.g., constraining on
the mass, volume, von-Mises stress, dis-placement or reaction forces. Here we want to achieve 75% weight reduction.
Therefore, we select Mass for Response and set Percent to Retain as 25%.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 12: Retrieve Solution from Topology Optimization
In the Project tree, select Solution (B6). In the Details of “Solution (B6)”, make sure that the Export Topology (STL file)
in Post Processing is set to Yes. This will enable us to export the optimized design as STL file afterwards.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Next, right-click on Solution (B6), and click Solve. When it starts running, click on
Topology Density Tracker in the Project tree to track the topology optimization process.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Once it is done, click on Topology Density in the Project tree to review results. Click on the Play button in
Animation to view the iterations. The region marked in Gray is suggested as the optimal shape for the
design under the given loads. Close the Multiple Systems program

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Solution steps for portion (B):
Step 1: Transfer the Optimized Result to a new Static Structural System

In the Project
Schematic, right-
click on Results and
click Transfer to
Design Validation
System.

This will transfer the

optimized results to a
new Static Structural
System.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Note that now the Results of the Topology Optimization analysis is taken as the input for
the Geometry of the Static Structural analysis, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Right-click on the Results cell of Topology Optimization, click Update. After the update is
done, a green Checkmark should appear for the Results cell of Topology Optimization.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Next, right-click on the Geometry cell of the new Static Structural system and click
Update.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Once update is complete, double-click on the Geometry cell of the new Static Structural system to
launch the SpaceClaim.

Both the original L-

shape and the
optimized shape are
now imported into
SpaceClaim.

As shown below, the

edges of the
optimized shape are
rough. This geometry
needs to be repaired,
as it is not so easy to
manufacture.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Next, click SpaceClaim Options from the File drop-down menu shown
below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 The following SpaceClaim Options window will show up. Click Units from the
left panel and select Millimetres from the drop-down list of Length.

Next, change the Minor Grid

Spacing to 5mm. Click OK to save
your changes and close the window.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 2: Create a New Sketch
Uncheck the 1st SYS-1 item in the Structure Tree to hide the original L-shape.

Click on the Sketch Mode icon and

click on the front face of the
optimized shape in the Graphics
Window.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
The following will be created as a result.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Click and drag to pull out a selection box in the Graphics Window.

Draw a box that encloses the

entire bracket to select all the
edges, as shown below. Next,
click on the Copy button to
copy this to clipboard.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Paste button to paste all the selected
edges onto the new sketch plane.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Uncheck the 2nd SYS-1 item in Structure Tree to show
only the edges.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 3: Simplify the Curves
To simplify curves, click the Fit Curves icon under the Repair tab. Accept the default Find
Options of a Maximum distance of 0.16mm, and check Lines and Arcs under Fix Options. Click
the Checkmark in the Graphics Window to fit edges automatically into simpler curves.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
The curves will turn into the following sketch. Note that there are still short lines in
between points 1 and 2, points 3 and 4, and points 5 and 6, which we need to repair
further.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Trim Away icon under the Design tab. In the Graphics Window, click on
the line segments in between points 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6, to trim them away,
as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Line icon under the Design tab. Create 3 straight lines, in between points 1
and 2, points 3 and 4, and points 5 and 6, respectively, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Trim Away icon under the Design tab. Click on the short lines around corners
to trim them away, as shown below. Make sure each edge has only one line segment.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Create Rounded Corner icon under the Design tab. Click each pair of adjacent lines to create a rounded
corner with 2mm radius, as shown below. Note that the line segments a, b, c and d may not be long enough to
accommodate this fillet radius.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
To fix that, the 4 line segments (a, b, c and d) may need to be extended. Click the Create Corner icon under the
Design tab to create two corners between the 4 lines. To create a corner, click one side and then the adjacent side in
the Graphics Window.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Now click on the Create Rounded Corner icon under the Design tab. Click a rounded
corner of 2mm radius, as shown below, for the line segments a, b, c and d.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 4: Create an Extruded Part
Click on the Pull icon under the Design tab. Click on the front face in the Graphics Window.
The face will be highlighted in orange as shown below. Click on the Ruler in the mini-toolbar.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the orange face to highlight the face again in the Graphics Window. Pull the face
along z-axis and press the spacebar in keyboard to enter a value of 2mm in the
highlighted field.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the letter P next to the value of 2mm in the Graphics Window. A group named
“Group1” will be created, as shown in the Information message box below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Groups tab on the left panel to view groups. Click on the Ruler dimension
next to Group1 under Driving Dimensions to view its numeric value of 2mm.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Right- click on the Group1 under Driving Dimensions and select Rename from the drop-
down menu. Change the name of Group1 to Thickness, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Uncheck Surface in the Structure Tree to show only the solid part. Right-click on Surface and the first SYS-1 in the
Structure Tree, and click Suppress for Physics in the drop menu.

Items suppressed for

physics are not
imported for
subsequent physical
analysis. Make sure
that all other items
except for Solid in
the Structure Tree
are suppressed for
physics. Exit
SpaceClaim.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 5: Retrieve Solution from Simulation
In Project Schematic, double-click the Model cell of the new Static Structural
system.

Click Yes on the

popup menu to
confirm reading
upstream data. The
Static Structural
Program is now
launched.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
In the Details of Mesh, change the Size Function under Sizing to Proximity and Curvature.

Right-click on the
Mesh in the Project
Outline and click
Generate Mesh. The
following mesh will
appear.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the top face in the Graphics Window and apply it to the Geometry selection in the Details of
“Fixed Support”. The top face of the L-shape is now fixed as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Edge filter. Then click on the bottom edge in the Graphics Window, and apply it to the Geometry
selection in the Details of “Force”. A 300N force will be applied to the edge along negative Y, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Right-click on Solution (C6) in the Outline tree and select Solve. The program will start to solve the model. After
completion, click Total Deformation in the Outline to review the total deformation results. In the Details of “Total
Deformation”, click on the empty box left to Maximum under Results, and a letter P will be marked in the box
indicating it is a parameter.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Next, click on SYS-2\Solid in the Outline Tree. In the Details of “SYS-2\Solid”, click on the empty box left to Mass
under Properties, and a letter P will appear indicating it is a parameter. Exit the Static Structural program.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 6: Explore the Parameter Set
Note that a Parameter Set menu has been added to the Project Schematic, as shown below.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 corresponding base values in the Outline of All Parameters window. In the Table of Design Points, the
current design is shown as the only design point. Close the Parameter Set tab to return to Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Step 7: Create Response Surface Optimization
Double- click the Response Surface Optimization underneath Design Exploration from the Toolbox. A Response
Surface Optimization system will be added to the project schematic.

The optimization system is

linked to the Parameter
Set indicating that it has
access to the design and
response parameters.
Double-click on the
Design of Experiments
tab in the project
schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 8: Generate a DOE Table
In the Outline of Schematic, click on P1-Thickness. The default Lower Bound and Upper Bound values for P1-
Thickness are listed as shown below. We will accept these default values in the design exploration.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Next, click on Design of Experiments in the Outline of Schematic. In the Properties of Outline, turn on Preserve
Design Points After DX Run. Change the Design Type to Face Cantered.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
In the toolbar, click Preview. A DOE table listing 5 design points is generated. Then click Update in the toolbar to
run finite element simulations for the 5 different design scenarios. It will take a while to finish running all the
simulations. After completion, review the 5 design points (simulation results) listed in the Table of Outline.
Close the entire Design of Experiments tab to return to Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 9: Build Response Surface
Double-click on the Response Surface tab in the following Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on Response Surface in the upper left panel of Outline of Schematic. Turn on the two options under Design
Points in the lower left panel of Properties of Outline. Next, click Update to create the response surface.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
To view the response, click on Response in the upper left panel of Outline of Schematic. The response chart of the
maximum total deformation as a function of thickness is shown below. Review the response chart and close the
Response Surface tab to return to Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 10: Set Up Objectives and Constraints Double-click on the Optimization tab in the following Project
Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on the Objectives and Constraints tab in the Outline of Schematic. Set up the objective and constraints
as shown below in the right panel of Table of Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Click on Optimization in the Outline of Schematic. Select Screening for Method Name in the Properties of Outline.
Click Update in the toolbar.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Three candidates for best design are now listed in the Table of Schematic. Review the best design (Candidate Point 1)
in the Candidate Points table. Note that three candidates are listed here because Maximum Number of Candidates is
set to 3 in the lower left Properties of Outline table. Close the Optimization tab to return to Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Step 11: Update Current Design Double-click on the Parameter Set in the Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 In the right Table of Design Points shown below, DP1 achieves the best result in minimizing the weight while
meeting the deformation requirement. It has a value of 1.8mm for Thickness.

We will now update the current

design with this design point (DP1),
which can then be served as the base
case for another round of
optimization iteration if needed.
Right-click on the DP1 in the Table
of Design Points and select Copy
inputs to Current in the drop-down
menu. This will update the Current
design point with the selected design
point DP1.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Next, right-click on the Current tab in the Table of Design Points, and select Update Selected Design Points
in the drop menu.

This will update the results

of the Current design
point. After done, close the
Parameter Set tab to return
to Project Schematic.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Double-click the Geometry tab of the second Static Structural System in the Project Schematic to open SpaceClaim.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
The geometry is now updated in Graphics Window based on the current design point (1.8mm for Thickness), as shown
below. Close the SpaceClaim program.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
Double-click on the Results tab of the second Static Structural System in Project Schematic to view the updated
deformation results from the Static Structural – Mechanical program. Close Static Structural and save project.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo
 Summary

We briefly discussed design

optimization problems and
the type of optimizations.
We also learnt how to apply
FEA in design optimization
studies. A case study is
demonstrated using ANSYS
Workbench to reduce the
weight of an L-shaped
structure.

University of Dundee – School of Engineering – ME40001: Computer Aided Engineering– Dr. Bankole Oladapo