Citation: Wang, X.; Zhang, F.; Zhao,
Y.; Wang, Z.; Zhou, G. Research on
3D-Print Design Method of Spatial
Node Topology Optimization Based
on Improved Material Interpolation.
Materials 2022, 15, 3874. https://
doi.org/10.3390/ma15113874
Academic Editor: Dimitrios Tzetzis
Received: 8 April 2022
Accepted: 24 May 2022
Published: 29 May 2022
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Article
Research on 3D-Print Design Method of Spatial Node Topology
Optimization Based on Improved Material Interpolation
Xianjie Wang
1,2,3
, Fan Zhang
2,
* , Yang Zhao
3
, Zhaoyi Wang
2
and Guangen Zhou
4
1
Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Structure and Mechanics, Inner Mongolia University of Technology,
Hohhot 010051, China; xianjiewang@ynu.edu.cn
2
School of Architecture and Planning, Yunnan University, Kunming 650106, China; 18608581557@163.com
3
School of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; ceyzhao@zju.edu.cn
4
Zhejiang Southest Space Frame Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310058, China; zgg1967@163.com
* Correspondence: 12019202517@mail.ynu.edu.cn
Abstract:
Designing a high-strength node is significant for space structures. Topological optimization
can optimally allocate the material distribution of components to meet performance requirements.
Although the material distribution after topology optimization is optimum, the structure becomes
complicated to manufacture. By using additive manufacturing technology, this problem can be well
solved. At present, both topology optimization technology and additive manufacturing technology
are quite mature, but their application in the design of spatial nodes is very recent and less researched.
This paper involves the study and improvement of the node optimization design–manufacturing
integrated method. This study used the BESO optimization algorithm as the research algorithm.
Through a reasonable improvement of the material interpolation method, the algorithm’s dependence
on the experience of selecting the material penalty index P was reduced. On this basis, the secondary
development was carried out, and a multisoftware integration was carried out for optimization and
manufacturing. The spatial node was taken as the research object, and the calculation results of the
commercial finite element software were compared. The comparison showed that the algorithm
used in this paper was better. Not only was it not trapped in a local optimum, but the maximum
stress was also lower. In addition, this paper proposed a practical finite element geometric model
extraction method and smoothing of the optimized nodes, completing the experiment of the additive
manufacturing forming of the nodes. It provides ideas for processing jagged edges brought by
the BESO algorithm. This paper verified the feasibility of the multisoftware integration method of
optimized manufacturing.
Keywords:
improved BESO algorithm; optimal design of space nodes; material interpolation method;
additive manufacturing; model postprocessing
1. Introduction
The evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) method and its improved method
(BESO) were first proposed by Xie [
1
,
2
] et al. The method gradually removes the ineffi-
cient materials in a structure so that the structure can gradually reach the optimal state
in terms of performance. At the same time, this method has an extensive prospect for
secondary development. With the continuous advancement of computer technology and
3D-printing technology, topology optimization is no longer satisfied with just finding the
shape, but has turned its attention to new technologies that are integrated with additive
manufacturing. Regarding topology optimization techniques for additive manufacturing,
there has been a large amount of research beneficial to practical applications. First, in the
study of manufacturing molding, the researchers considered the process constraints of
additive manufacturing technology, including self-supporting constraints [
3
], maximum
and minimum constraints [
4
,
5
], and anisotropic constraints [
6
,
7
]. This type of research is
Materials 2022, 15, 3874. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15113874 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
