An Efficient Gradient Projection Method for Structural Topology Optimization

Abstract: This paper presents an efficient gradient projection-based method for structural topological optimization problems characterized by a nonlinear objective function which is minimized over a feasible region defined by bilateral bounds and a single linear equality constraint. The specialty of the constraints type, as well as heuristic engineering experiences are exploited to improve the scaling scheme, projection, and searching step. In detail, gradient clipping and a modified projection of searching direction under certain condition are utilized to facilitate the efficiency of the proposed method. Besides, an analytical solution is proposed to approximate this projection with negligible computation and memory costs. Furthermore, the calculation of searching steps is largely simplified. Benchmark problems, including the MBB, the force inverter mechanism, and the 3D cantilever beam are used to validate the effectiveness of the method. The proposed method is implemented in MATLAB which is open-sourced for educational usage.