Nature-inspired optimization of tubular joints for metal 3D printing
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RESEARCH PAPER
Nature-inspired optimization of tubular joints for metal 3D printing Alper Kanyilmaz 1
&
Filippo Berto 2 & Ingrid Paoletti 1 & Ric Joseph Caringal 3 & Samantha Mora 4
Received: 21 March 2020 / Revised: 18 August 2020 / Accepted: 21 August 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Steel tubular frames are often used to build a variety of structures because of their optimal mechanical properties and attractive forms. However, their joint fabrication involves a vast quantity of cutting and welding works, which induces high labour costs, material waste, and environmental pollution. The construction industry dominates the global carbon footprint, and it needs more sustainable products. Nature’s structures are also often tubular, and their joints (e.g. the knees of a human body, the nodes of trees and plants) are intrinsically optimized to maximize stiffness, resistance, and robustness. The 3D metal printing technology can enable a nature-inspired optimization of steel tubular joints, saving material waste and decreasing fabrication costs as well as the carbon footprint of the sector, since it is free from the constraints of traditional manufacturing. In this study, we designed new tubular joint shapes using solid isotropic material with the penalization (SIMP) method. The objective of the optimization was to maximize the structural performance of the node. The optimized node that used to be achieved after a complex manufacturing process composed of numerous cutting and welding operations, can now be 3D printed and then connected to the rest of the joint leading to a shorter fabrication time. We quantified the joints’ structural performance with different grades of optimization using non-linear finite element analysis. Compared with the conventional joint shapes, the new geometries offered a higher stiffness, resistance, and robustness. We performed a powder bed fusion simulation to analyze the residual stresses after production, and estimated the cost of the new solutions. Keywords Topologyoptimization . Tubular structures . Architecture . Bioinspiration . Metal additivemanufacturing,3dprinting . Nature-inspired
1 Introduction Steel tubular structures are often used in the built environment (e.g. offshore wind platforms, bridges, stadiums) because of their mechanical qualities and elegant forms. The
Responsible Editor: Mehmet Polat Saka * Alper Kanyilmaz [email protected] 1
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
2
Structural Integrity Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty of Engineering, NTNU Norway, Trondheim, Norway
3
Buildings, Façade Team, ARUP Singapore Pte Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
4
Faculty of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy
hollow cross-sections of the tubular steel profiles present a high multidirectional axial and bending inertia, which makes them an excellent choice to achieve a high strength and stability with minimum w
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