Publication | Computers & Structures Journal 2019
Design optimization of dynamic flexible multibody systems using the discrete adjoint variable method
This paper proposes a method for sensitivity analysis of dynamic mechanical multibody systems. The developed methodology is also applicable to other time-dependent structural dynamics optimization problems.
Download publicationAbstract
Design optimization of dynamic flexible multibody systems using the discrete adjoint variable method
Mehran Ebrahimi, Adrian Butscher, Hyunmin Cheong, Francesco Iorio
Computers & Structures Journal 2019
The design space of dynamic multibody systems (MBSs), particularly those with flexible components, is considerably large. Consequently, having a means to efficiently explore this space and find the optimum solution within a feasible time-frame is crucial. It is well-known that for problems with several design variables, sensitivity analysis using the adjoint variable method extensively reduces the computational costs. This paper presents the novel extension of the discrete adjoint variable method to the design optimization of dynamic flexible MBSs. The extension involves deriving the adjoint equations directly from the discrete, rather than the continuous, equations of motion. This results in a system of algebraic equations that is computationally less demanding to solve compared to the system of differential algebraic equations produced by the continuous adjoint variable method. To describe the proposed method, it is integrated with a numerical time-stepping algorithm based on geometric variational integrators. The developed technique is then applied to the optimization of MBSs composed of springs, dampers, beams and rigid bodies, considering both geometrical (e.g., positions of joints) and non-geometrical (e.g., mechanical properties of components) design variables. To validate the developed methods and show their applicability, three numerical examples are provided.
Related Resources
2017
PhenoStacks: Cross-Sectional Cohort Phenotype Comparison VisualizationsCross-sectional phenotype studies are used by genetics researchers to…
2003
Flows on Surfaces of Arbitrary TopologyIn this paper we introduce a method to simulate fluid flows on smooth…
2021
UV-Net: Learning from Boundary RepresentationsWe introduce UV-Net, a novel neural network architecture and…
2015
Designing for AM: Integrating Mesh-Based Modelling Techniques with Parametric CADThe growing use of additive manufacturing lifts many constraints on…
Get in touch
Something pique your interest? Get in touch if you’d like to learn more about Autodesk Research, our projects, people, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Contact us