Classification approach for reliability‐based topology optimization using probabilistic neural networks

This research explores the usage of classification approaches in order to facilitate the accurate estimation of probabilistic constraints in optimization problems under uncertainty. The efficiency of the proposed framework is achieved with the combination of a conventional topology optimization method and a classification approach‐ namely, probabilistic neural networks (PNN). Specifically, the implemented framework using PNN is useful in the case of highly nonlinear or disjoint failure domain problems. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated with three examples. The first example deals with the estimation of the limit state function in the case of disjoint failure domains. The second example shows the efficacy of the proposed method in the design of stiffest structure through the topology optimization process with the consideration of random field inputs and disjoint failure phenomenon, such as buckling. The third example demonstrates the applicability of the proposed method in a practical engineering problem.