Domain-oriented multiscale optimization for composite materials
João Dias-de-Oliveira, Joaquim Pinho-da-Cruz, Filipe Teixeira-Dias
Abstract. In structural topology optimization, intermediate densities are used to bridge the gap between dense materials and voids through optimal distributions of cellular or composite materials. These are handled at multiple size scales, with the local distribution on the microscale affecting the global density at the macroscale. Multilevel or hierarchical approaches are typically employed to solve this two-scale problem, though they often result in high computational costs and limited practical applications. In this work, the authors propose a new approach, reducing the hierarchical problem with pointwise local topology variations to a subdomain separation of the structure and local problems. This strategy significantly reduces computational costs and makes hierarchical methodologies more feasible for real-world composite material applications. A multiscale topology optimization problem is solved using asymptotic expansion homogenization, which provides effective properties for the macroscale and serves as an inverse homogenization procedure for microscale topology optimization. Macroscale calculations, involving or not topology optimization, are informed by sensitivities that consider interactions between scales. This work presents multiple studies using the proposed multiscale approach with a user-developed code. Results demonstrate that the subdomain approach enables optimization of material distributions in a discrete manner, which aligns better with real material distributions in composite applications compared to continuous microscale variations. Moreover, the solution is computationally more efficient and faster for both microscale and multiscale optimizations, significantly reducing the computational load.
Keywords
Topology Optimization, Multiscale, Homogenization, Composite Materials
Published online 5/7/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: João Dias-de-Oliveira, Joaquim Pinho-da-Cruz, Filipe Teixeira-Dias, Domain-oriented multiscale optimization for composite materials, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 686-695, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-74
The article was published as article 74 of the book Material Forming
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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