POD-assisted strategies for structural topology optimization

We propose a new numerical tool for structural optimization design. To cut down the computational burden typical of the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method, we apply Proper Orthogonal Decomposition on SIMP snapshots computed on a fixed grid to construct a rough structure (predictor) which becomes the input of a SIMP procedure performed on an anisotropic adapted mesh (corrector). The benefit of the proposed design tool is to deliver smooth and sharp layouts which require a contained computational effort before moving to the 3D printing production phase. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.