Topological sensitivity analysis

The so-called topological derivative concept has been seen as a powerful framework to obtain the optimal topology for several engineering problems. This derivative characterizes the sensitivity of the problem when a small hole is created at each point of the domain. However, the greatest limitation of this methodology is that when a hole is created it is impossible to build a homeomorphic map between the domains in study (because they have not the same topology). Therefore, some specific mathematical framework should be developed in order to obtain the derivatives. This work proposes an alternative way to compute the topological derivative based on the shape sensitivity analysis concepts. The main feature of this methodology is that all the mathematical procedure already developed in the context of shape sensitivity analysis may be used in the calculus of the topological derivative. This idea leads to a more simple and constructive formulation than the ones found in the literature. Further, to point out the straightforward use of the proposed methodology, it is applied for solving some design problems in steady-state heat conduction. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.