A Riemannian View on Shape Optimization

Shape optimization based on the shape calculus is numerically mostly performed by means of steepest descent methods. This paper provides a novel framework to analyze shape-Newton optimization methods by exploiting a Riemannian perspective. A Riemannian shape Hessian is defined yielding often sought properties like symmetry and quadratic convergence for Newton optimization methods.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. Forschungsbericht / Universit\"at Trier, Mathematik, Informatik 2012,

Some flows in shape optimization

Geometric flows related to shape optimization problems of Bernoulli type are investigated. The evolution law is the sum of a curvature term and a nonlocal term of Hele-Shaw type. We introduce generalized set solutions, the definition of which is widely inspired by viscosity solutions. The main result is an inclusion preservation principle for generalized solutions. As a consequence, we obtain existence, uniqueness and stability of solutions. Asymptotic behavior for the flow is discussed: we prove that the solutions converge to a generalized Bernoulli exterior free boundary problem

Branching Structures in Elastic Shape Optimization

Fine scale elastic structures are widespread in nature, for instances in plants or bones, whenever stiffness and low weight are required. These patterns frequently refine towards a Dirichlet boundary to ensure an effective load transfer. The paper discusses the optimization of such supporting structures in a specific class of domain patterns in 2D, which composes of periodic and branching period transitions on subdomain facets. These investigations can be considered as a case study to display examples of optimal branching domain patterns. In explicit, a rectangular domain is decomposed into rectangular subdomains, which share facets with neighbouring subdomains or with facets which split on one side into equally sized facets of two different subdomains. On each subdomain one considers an elastic material phase with stiff elasticity coefficients and an approximate void phase with orders of magnitude softer material. For given load on the outer domain boundary, which is distributed on a prescribed fine scale pattern representing the contact area of the shape, the interior elastic phase is optimized with respect to the compliance cost. The elastic stress is supposed to be continuous on the domain and a stress based finite volume discretization is used for the optimization. If in one direction equally sized subdomains with equal adjacent subdomain topology line up, these subdomains are consider as equal copies including the enforced boundary conditions for the stress and form a locally periodic substructure. An alternating descent algorithm is employed for a discrete characteristic function describing the stiff elastic subset on the subdomains and the solution of the elastic state equation. Numerical experiments are shown for compression and shear load on the boundary of a quadratic domain.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Sharp interface limit for a phase field model in structural optimization

We formulate a general shape and topology optimization problem in structural optimization by using a phase field approach. This problem is considered in view of well-posedness and we derive optimality conditions. We relate the diffuse interface problem to a perimeter penalized sharp interface shape optimization problem in the sense of $\Gamma$-convergence of the reduced objective functional. Additionally, convergence of the equations of the first variation can be shown. The limit equations can also be derived directly from the problem in the sharp interface setting. Numerical computations demonstrate that the approach can be applied for complex structural optimization problems

Shape Optimization Problems for Metric Graphs

We consider the shape optimization problem $$\min\big\{{\mathcal E}(\Gamma)\ :\ \Gamma\in{\mathcal A},\ {\mathcal H}^1(\Gamma)=l\ \big\},$$ where ${\mathcal H}^1$ is the one-dimensional Hausdorff measure and ${\mathcal A}$ is an admissible class of one-dimensional sets connecting some prescribed set of points ${\mathcal D}=\{D_1,\dots,D_k\}\subset{\mathbb R}^d$. The cost functional ${\mathcal E}(\Gamma)$ is the Dirichlet energy of $\Gamma$ defined through the Sobolev functions on $\Gamma$ vanishing on the points $D_i$. We analyze the existence of a solution in both the families of connected sets and of metric graphs. At the end, several explicit examples are discussed.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var., (to appear

Dynamic programming approach to structural optimization problem – numerical algorithm

In this paper a new shape optimization algorithm is presented. As a model application we consider state problems related to fluid mechanics, namely the Navier-Stokes equations for viscous incompressible fluids. The general approach to the problem is described. Next, transformations to classical optimal control problems are presented. Then, the dynamic programming approach is used and sufficient conditions for the shape optimization problem are given. A new numerical method to find the approximate value function is developed