Reliability-based topology optimization of structures under stress constraints

In this paper, we propose an approach for reliability-based design optimization where a structure of minimum weight subject to reliability constraints on the effective stresses is sought. The reliability-based topology optimization problem is formulated by using the performance measure approach, and the sequential optimization and reliability assessment method is employed. This strategy allows for decoupling the reliability-based topology optimization problem into 2 steps, namely, deterministic topology optimization and reliability analysis. In particular, the deterministic structural optimization problem subject to stress constraints is addressed with an efficient methodology based on the topological derivative concept together with a level-set domain representation method. The resulting algorithm is applied to some benchmark problems, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach.