A well connected, locally-oriented and efficient multi-scale topology optimization (EMTO) strategy

Multi-scale topology optimization (a.k.a. micro-structural topology optimization, MTO) consists in optimizing macro-scale and micro-scale topology simultaneously. MTO could improve structural performance of products significantly. However, a few issues related to connectivity between micro-structures and high computational cost have to be addressed, without resulting in loss of performance. In this paper, a new efficient multi-scale topology optimization (EMTO) framework has been developed for this purpose. Connectivity is addressed through adaptive transmission zones which limit loss of performance. A pre-computed database of micro-structures is used to speed up the computing. Design variables have also been chosen carefully and include the orientation of the micro-structures to enhance performance. EMTO has been successfully tested on two-dimensional compliance optimization problems. The results show significant improvements compared to mono-scale methods (compliance value lower by up to 20% on a simplistic case or 4% on a more realistic case), and also demonstrate the versatility of EMTO.