INTEGRATING AND AUTOMATING FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION ON PCS

Abstract

The development of an interface coupling program on PCs for a finite element analysis software system, SAP90, with an optimization software system, MOST, is presented. By controlling and directing the communications, the interface coupling program integrates the two programs while retaining their versatility and interactive features. The integrated system is applied to a numerical example for the minimization of steady-state dynamic loads transmitted from a vehicle exhaust pipe system. The interface coupling program automates, at a relatively low cost, the usually time-consuming iterative process for optimizing an engineering system, while remaining flexible in structural modelling and efficient in equation solving.