then design intent is important for optimizing in SolidWorks Simulation. If you start with a less than optimum shape, you will never design the lightest structure possible. Let me illustrate what I mean.
In the two pictures above, we have the same goal, minimize the weight of the part. To remove the weight, we are trying two different geometries, a square hole and a circular hole. Based on our constraints of stress, displacement, vibrational frequencies and other factors you may be able to think of, one of the designs is going to yield a better design than the other no matter how optimized.
For the square hole the width and height can be varied, and for the circular hole the radius can be varied. At some point though, how do we determine the best form to start with? Choosing between the circle and square hole can be tough. Luckily for us, there is a field of study dedicated to this problem called topology optimization. It helps you determine which areas of the material contribute the most to its stiffness.
There is a company that is starting to bring topology optimization to the mainstream. They are called SolidThinking and they make a product called Inspire. I have included a picture below.
The picture above, shows a rough version of the form that should be used to optimize strength-to-mass ratio. Unlike FEA optimization, this is not showing you the material you need for your part. It is showing you the form that provides the most rigidity for the least amount of material. What is then needed is to use this to build your SolidWorks design then perform the appropriate analysis and optimization using SolidWorks Simulation.
If you care about having the lightest designs, check out solidthinking.com and their Inspire product. Start thinking about how you can use that to produce the form of your design and then validate safety with SolidWorks Simulation.
Learn how to start asking yourself the right questions and analyzing your design options to determine the best design before production. Watch this video on our blog to learn more!
By: Brandon Donnelly, Simulation Applications Engineer