(Evolutionary) Structural Optimization: What am I optimizing?

[Calmitude]

Hello!

I'm a Computer Scientist and would like to do research into Structural Optimization.
I'd like to understand the maths behind something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s012y1zorX0

So for any 2D shape split up into finite elements, subject to some point forces, I'd like to:
- Get the stress of each element
- Determine if the structure will fail (using Von Mises, I think)

How would I go around getting this information? Is there an efficient/approximate way of doing this? Is it even doable or am I being overly optimistic? (Keep in mind I have no engineering knowledge, at all...)

Would really appreciate some help!

 

[rb1957]

these are very basic FEA questions. I'd suggest reading some FEA texts, maybe some structures analysis texts too, before "playing and praying" with a code. MIT opencourseware has online (and free) material that will help you.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

 

[GregLocock]

"How would I go around getting this information? Is there an efficient/approximate way of doing this? Is it even doable or am I being overly optimistic? (Keep in mind I have no engineering knowledge, at all...)"

Every FEA program I've come across spits out a text file with an element by element description of the stresses.

I suggest you download one of the many demo or free FEA programs and just run the examples, that'll give you an idea of what these files look like, they are big and dull.

Also look at the input files, that may give you an idea how to create a deck to run.

It is entriely doable, in a weekend even I managed to hack together an optimisation routine for an FEA model, using qbasic.


Cheers

Greg Locock


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