Simultaneous design of structural layout and discrete fiber orientation using bi‐value coding parameterization and volume constraint

The so‐called bi‐value coding parameterization (BCP) method is developed for the simultaneous optimization of layout design and discrete fiber orientations of laminated structures related to the compliance minimization and natural frequency maximization. Both kinds of problems are transformed into a discrete material selection problem that is then solved as a continuous topology optimization problem with multiphase materials. A new form of the volume constraint is introduced in accordance with the BCP to control the material usage and material removal in the corresponding problem formulation. The BCP scheme assigning the integer value of +1 or ‐1 to each design variable for the unique ‘coding’ is efficiently used to interpolate discrete fiber orientations and to identify the presence and removal of materials. Meanwhile, a general set‐up strategy is proposed by assigning ‘uniform’ weight values in BCP to ensure the feasibility of the initial starting point. Numerical tests illustrate that the BCP is efficient in dealing with both kinds of design problems including the volume constraint.