A Biologically-inspired Topological Design Tool for Additive Manufacturing of Air Platform Structures

Metallic Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology can deliver breakthrough solutions to U.S. Navy air platform and weapon systems by drastically increasing performance and reducing weight. However, the current design and engineering tools cannot fully exploit the design freedom brought about by advanced AM processes. In addition, many existing topology optimization tools are unable to directly address key air platform performance metrics such as strength, fatigue, aerodynamics, shock, and vibration. To tackle these deficiencies, Adjoint Technologies proposes an innovative material and structural design software by extending a revolutionary bio-inspired topology optimization technique to metal additively manufactured air platform structures. Relevant AM design considerations will be directly integrated into the topology optimization including process-dependent material properties and geometric constraints to ensure build-ability and to accommodate powder removal. The tool, which will be capable of discovering complex, high performance structural configurations specifically adapted for additive manufacturing, will be demonstrated for the topology optimization on a benchmark naval air platform component.