Sensitivity analysis for fixed-grid shape optimization by using oblique boundary curve approximation

The remesh-free property is the most attractive feature of the various versions of fixed-grid-based shape optimization methods. When the design boundary curves do not pass through the predetermined analysis grids, however, the element stiffness as well as the stress along the curves may be computed inaccurately. Even with the popular area-fraction-based stiffness evaluation approach, the whole optimization process may become quite inefficient in such a case. As an efficient alternative approach, we considered a stiffness matrix evaluation method based on the boundary curve approximation by piecewise oblique curves which can cross several elements. The main contribution of this work is the analytic derivation of the shape sensitivity for the discretized system by the fixed-grid method. Since the force term in the sensitivity equation is associated only with the elements crossed by the design boundary curve, we only need the design velocities of the intersecting points between the curve and the fixed mesh. The present results obtained for two-dimensional elasticity and Poisson's problems are valid for both the single-scale standard fixed-grid method and the multiscale fictitious domain-based interpolation wavelet-Galerkin method. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.