Material distribution and sizing optimization of functionally graded plate- shell structures

摘要

A high order shear deformation theory is used to develop a discrete model for the structural and sensitivity analyses allowing for the material distribution and sizing optimization of functionally graded material (FGM) structures. The finite element formulation for general FGM plate-shell type structures is presented, and a non-conforming triangular flat plate/shell element with 24 of freedom for the generalized displacements is used. The formulation accounts for geometric and material nonlinear behaviour, free vibrations and linear buckling analyses, and their analytical gradient based sensitivities. The p-index of the power law material distribution and the thickness are the design variables. Mass, displacement, fundamental frequency and critical load are the objective functions or constraints. The optimization solutions, obtained by a Feasible Arc Interior Point gradient based algorithm, for some plate-shell examples are presented for benchmarking purposes.