Vibration analysis of shape-optimized rotating cantilever beams

The shape optimization of rotating beams is carried out in order to minimize the vibrations. The objective is the maximization of the fundamental frequency with constraints on the beam mass and static tip deflections. The finite-element method is used to model the rotating beam and sequential quadratic programming is used for the optimization. The effects of beam frequency maximization and hub-beam frequency maximization on the optimized shapes and the dynamic characteristics of these shapes are studied. The beam shapes are optimized for different speeds. The natural frequencies and time responses of these optimized shapes are studied using numerical simulation. Based on the numerical study, suggestions for formulating an appropriate optimization problem in a given context are made.