Static Stress Redesign of Structures by Large Admissible Perturbations

Abstract

The LargeE Admissible Perturbation (LEAP) methodology is developed further to solve static stress redesign problems. The static stress general perturbation equation, which expresses the unknown nodal stresses of the objective structure in terms of the baseline structure stresses, is derived first. This equation depends on the redesign variables for each element or group of elements; namely, the cross-sectional area and moment of inertia, and the distance between the neutral axis and the outer fiber of the cross section. This equation preserves the shape of the cross section in the redesign process. LEAP enables the designer to redesign a structure to achieve specifications on modal properties, static displacements, forced response amplitudes, and static stresses. LEAP is implemented in code RESTRUCT which post-processes the FEA results of the baseline structure. Changes on the order of 100% in the above performance particulars and in redesign variables can be achieved without repetitive finite element (FE) analyses. Several numerical applications on a simple cantilever beam and an offshore tower are used to verify the LEAP algorithm for stress redesign.