Topology optimization of stiffened revolution shell structures using multi-regional anisotropic MFSE method

Stiffened revolution shell structures, prevalent in thin-walled load-bearing components across engineering disciplines, pose challenges in optimizing structural load-bearing capacity while maintaining ease of manufacturability and regularity of the structure. This paper presents an innovative anisotropic correlation-based material field series expansion (MFSE) method for topology optimization of stiffened revolution shell structures with multi-region strategy. In contrast to classical continuum topology optimization methods, the proposed approach directly represents regular stiffeners and provides smooth structural boundary description, without external manufacturing constraints. Leveraging the unique characteristics of revolution shell structures, a single anisotropic material field depicts uniformly oriented regular straight stiffeners organized into clusters. Multiple clusters of stiffeners are derived from two fundamental orthogonal stiffener clusters and integrated into a unified topological configuration through an innovative superposition function. Throughout the optimization process, the number, location and size of the optimized stiffeners are entirely determined by the specific problem and optimization procedure without necessitating special initial guess. Moreover, customizing or optimizing the shape of stiffener clusters to accommodate diverse loading conditions can be achieved through predefined structural forms. Ultimately, several numerical examples are solved using a gradient-based optimization algorithm incorporating the provided design sensitivity analysis program, validating the effectiveness of the proposed method.