Abstract
Conceptual design support techniques are practically mandatory if the most efficient realization of optimal designs is desired. This paper presents a new topology optimization method that considers multiple reliability criteria to obtain, at the conceptual design phase, the most reliable designs of mechanical structures for both static and dynamic problems. This optimization method is constructed based on frame elements. For each frame element, a circular cross-section is assumed as the simplest case, and the normalized cross-section area is treated as design variable. As the multiple reliability criteria, the system reliability is evaluated by modeling the stiffness and eigen-frequency criteria as a series system. Finally, several numerical examples confirm the validity and utility of proposed method, and the importance of considering uncertainties is demonstrated by comparing with deterministic topology optimization.
