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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Topology optimization for submerged buoyant structures

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Author(s):
Picelli, R. ; van Dijk, R. ; Vicente, W. M. ; Pavanello, R. ; Langelaar, M. ; van Keulen, F.
Total Authors: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: ENGINEERING OPTIMIZATION; v. 49, n. 1, p. 1-21, JAN 2017.
Web of Science Citations: 6
Abstract

This paper presents an evolutionary structural topology optimization method for the design of completely submerged buoyant modules with design-dependent fluid pressure loading. This type of structure is used to support offshore rig installation and pipeline transportation at all water depths. The proposed optimization method seeks to identify the buoy design that has the highest stiffness, allowing it to withstand deepwater pressure, uses the least material and has a minimum prescribed buoyancy. Laplace's equation is used to simulate underwater fluid pressure, and a polymer buoyancy module is considered to be linearly elastic. Both domains are solved with the finite element method. Using an extended bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method, the design-dependent pressure loads are modelled in a straightforward manner without any need for pressure surface parametrization. A new buoyancy inequality constraint sets a minimum required buoyancy effect, measured by the joint volume of the structure and its interior voids. Solid elements with low strain energy are iteratively removed from the initial design domain until a certain prescribed volume fraction. A test case is described to validate the optimization problem, and a buoy design problem is used to explore the features of the proposed method. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/08293-7 - CCES - Center for Computational Engineering and Sciences
Grantee:Munir Salomao Skaf
Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
FAPESP's process: 11/09730-6 - Evolutionary Structural Optimization in Problems of Fluid-Structure Interaction
Grantee:Renato Picelli Sanches
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate