Structural shape optimisation using boundary elements and the biological growth method

A numerical evolutionary procedure for the structural optimisation for stress reduction of two-dimensional structures is presented in this paper. The proposed procedure couples the biological growth method (BGM) with the boundary element method (BEM). The boundary-only intrinsic characteristic of BEM together with its accuracy in the boundary displacement and stress solutions make BEM especially attractive for solving shape-optimisation problems. Two formulations of BEM are used in this work: the standard for two-dimensional elastostatics for the stress analysis and the dual reciprocity method (DRM), which is used to model the swelling or shrinking of the material. Two examples are analysed to illustrate the proposed methodology and to demonstrate its versatility and robustness.Fil: Wessel, C.. Universidad Austral. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Cisilino, Adrian Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Sensale, B.. Universidad de la República; Urugua