Otimização topológica aplicada ao projeto de um mecanismo flexível de inversão de deslocamento

Abstract

Compliant mechanisms are a category of mechanical devices that have their mobility due to the elastic deformation of their own body. These characteristics make the design and development of a compliant mechanism complex, since kinematic and kinetic analyzes cannot be solved separately. In order to get around this problem, the application of topology optimization methods to the design of compliant mechanisms has shown good results, as it is a more generic and systematic approach. Driven by some advantages related to economic and performance aspects of these components, when compared to a traditional mechanism, together with technological advances in the computational area, the emergence of new materials and the use of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) software, the implementation of topology optimization in the design of compliant mechanisms makes the use of these components in industrial solutions more attractive. Even with the help of CAE software, there are still great challenges, instabilities caused by mesh dependence, the increase in computational expenditure with each restriction and filters imposed on the domain, are some of the examples. To demonstrate this approach, this work presents the application of topology optimization to the design of a compliant mechanism of low complexity, which is a detachment inverter, with the help of the Altair HyperWorks CAE tool. All steps, analyzes and decisions taken to obtain the final topology of the mechanism are evidenced. The use of a neighborhood filter is applied in the development of the mechanism in order to demonstrate its advantages and disadvantages, including impacts on computational costs and increases in the number of iterations.