Design of sandwich panels with truss cores using explicit topology optimization

Sandwich panels with truss cores (SPTCs) are a class of novel structures with superior load bearing performance. In recent years, many efforts have been made in designing the SPTCs. However, the majority of related researches are conducted under the prespecified structural topologies of the truss cores according to subjective judgment and experience. In this paper, a novel approach under moving morphable components (MMC) based topology optimization framework is proposed for the design of SPTCs. To describe the SPTCs in an explicit and geometrical way, a multi-component topology description function (MCTDF) is developed in both 2D and 3D cases. By optimizing the configurations and layouts of the multi-components, the topological design of SPTCs with better structural performance can be generated. In this regard, the original topology optimization problem is transformed into a parameter optimization problem with only a small number of design variables. To determine the number of beams in truss core, a deletion strategy is proposed to remove the redundant multi-components. The minimum compliance problem subject to structural volume fraction constraint is investigated, and the relevant sensitivity analysis is shown. Both 2D and 3D numerical examples are presented to test the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.