A new scheme for imposing a minimum length scale in topology optimization

A new scheme for imposing a minimum length scale in topology optimization is presented. It guarantees the existence of an optimal design for a large class of topology optimization problems of practical interest. It is formulated as one constraint that is computationally cheap and for which sensitivities are also cheap to compute. The constraint value is ideally zero, but it can be relaxed to a positive value. The effect of the method is illustrated in topology optimization for minimum compliance and design of compliant mechanisms. Notably, the method produces compliant mechanisms with distributed flexibility, something that has previously been difficult to obtain using topology optimization for the design of compliant mechanisms. The term 'MOLE method' is suggested for the method. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.