PART B: MODEL NUMBER 3: AIRCRAFT WING RIB FREE SIZE OPTIMIZATION

In this tutorial, an existing finite element model of an aluminium wing rib model will be used to demonstrate how to do free-sizing optimization using OptiStruct. HyperView will be used to post-process the thickness pattern in the rib.

There are three shell components in the model: the Web, flange6mm & flange 7mm. The web is connected to the lug by gap elements. Appropriate properties, loads, boundary conditions, and nonlinear subcases have already been defined in the model. The design region is the web and the rest of the components are non-design. Since a large portion of aerospace components are shell structures which are manufactured by machining or milling operations, free-sizing optimization is very suitable for those components. The optimization problem for this tutorial is stated as:

In this tutorial, you will: Set up a free-sizing optimization with nonlinear gap elements Post-process the thickness convergence in the design domain

Exercise
Step 1: Launch HyperMesh Desktop, Set the User Profile, and Retrieve the File
1. 2. 3. Launch HyperMesh Desktop. Choose OptiStruct in the User Profile dialog and click OK. From the File pull-down menu on the toolbar, select Open. An Open file browser window pops up. Select the PartB_Problem3_Wing_Rib.hm file, Click Open.

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Step 2: Create design variable for Free-size Optimization.

1. Go to Analysis page and the click on optimization.

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Then click on free size panel.

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Select the create radio button, Enter shells in desvar, click on props and select PSHELL property from the list of properties, toggle the switch in front of minimum thickness and enter the value 4. Select the type as PSHELL. Click create.

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Now select the radio button as parameters. Click on desvar and select shells, then toggle the switch in front of minmemboff to mindim, and enter 5. Click update.

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Click return.

Step 3: Create Responses.

1. Go to response panel.

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Enter comp in response =, select compliance as response type; make sure the total and no regionid has been selected. Click create.

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Enter volfrac in response =, select volumefrac as response type; make sure the total and no regionid has been selected. Click create.

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Click return.

Step 4: Create Dconstraints.

1. Click on dconstraints panel.

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Enter vol in constraint = , click on response= and select volfrac from the list of responses, check the box next to upper bound and enter 0.3. Click create.

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Click return.

Step 5: Create Objective.

1. Click on objective panel.

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Select min form the drop down list. Click on response= and select comp from the list of responses. Click on the loadstep and select static. Click create.

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Click return.

Step 6: Save the file and run Free-size Optimization Process using OptiStruct.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Click on File pull down menu on tool bar, go to Save As and select Model. Create a new folder in different location and save the file. Go to Analysis and select OptiStruct. Set export option: all. Set run options: optimization. Set memory options: memory default. Click on save as and save the .fem file and then click on OptiStruct. Once you see OPTIMIZATION HAS CONVERGED.. FEASIBLE DESIGN <ALL CONSTRAINTS SATISFIED> Message on the solver window, close the solver window.

Step 7: View the Free-Size Optimization results using Hyper-View.

1. Click on Page Window Layout and split the window into 2.

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3. Click on 1 window and click on open folder
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Click on the folder icon in front of Load Model: and open the folder where you have saved the file before optimization. There select the _des.h3d file, this file contains the design history after the Optimization Process. Click on Apply.

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Select the last iteration

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Click on contour icon, in Result type: select Element Thickness (s), and in Averaging Method: select Simple. And then click Apply.

This is the End Optimized result due to free size optimization process .