(Evolutionary) Structural Optimization: What am I optimizing?
(Evolutionary) Structural Optimization: What am I optimizing?
(OP)
Hello!
I'm a Computer Scientist and would like to do research into Structural Optimization.
I'd like to understand the maths behind something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s012y1zorX0
So for any 2D shape split up into finite elements, subject to some point forces, I'd like to:
- Get the stress of each element
- Determine if the structure will fail (using Von Mises, I think)
How would I go around getting this information? Is there an efficient/approximate way of doing this? Is it even doable or am I being overly optimistic? (Keep in mind I have no engineering knowledge, at all...)
Would really appreciate some help!
I'm a Computer Scientist and would like to do research into Structural Optimization.
I'd like to understand the maths behind something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s012y1zorX0
So for any 2D shape split up into finite elements, subject to some point forces, I'd like to:
- Get the stress of each element
- Determine if the structure will fail (using Von Mises, I think)
How would I go around getting this information? Is there an efficient/approximate way of doing this? Is it even doable or am I being overly optimistic? (Keep in mind I have no engineering knowledge, at all...)
Would really appreciate some help!





RE: (Evolutionary) Structural Optimization: What am I optimizing?
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
RE: (Evolutionary) Structural Optimization: What am I optimizing?
Every FEA program I've come across spits out a text file with an element by element description of the stresses.
I suggest you download one of the many demo or free FEA programs and just run the examples, that'll give you an idea of what these files look like, they are big and dull.
Also look at the input files, that may give you an idea how to create a deck to run.
It is entriely doable, in a weekend even I managed to hack together an optimisation routine for an FEA model, using qbasic.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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