Today, guest blogger René Christensen of GN Hearing discusses the importance of acoustic topology optimization and how to apply it in COMSOL Multiphysics. Topology optimization is a powerful tool that enables engineers to find optimal solutions to problems related to their applications. Here, we’ll take a closer look at topology optimization as it relates to acoustics and how we optimally distribute acoustic media to obtain a desired response. Several examples will further illustrate the potential of this optimization technique.

While designing a structure, have you ever been unsure of how to achieve the best shape? If so, then you will want to add a useful technique called shape optimization to your COMSOL Multiphysics modeling skill set. Today, we will discuss the concept of shape optimization and demonstrate its use through a classical problem.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has been a popular topic of discussion on the COMSOL Blog and throughout the scientific community. New initiatives have furthered the capabilities of this technology, while extending its reach in various fields of research, manufacturing, and design. With the help of COMSOL Multiphysics, researchers at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) are investigating the promise of 3D printing in the realm of material design.

Weight reduction is a key design focus in many applications. This is particularly true in the automotive industry, where lightweight materials help foster the development of fuel efficient cars. Maintaining the structural integrity of these materials is, of course, an important concern. As we will show you today, simulation is a valuable tool for addressing this challenge.

Previously on the blog, we have discussed the need for appropriate measured data to fit the material parameters that correspond to a material model. We have also looked at typical experimental tests, considerations for operating conditions when choosing a material model, and an example of how to use your measured data directly in a nonlinear elastic model. Our focus today will be on how to fit your experimental data to different hyperelastic material models.

When diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a form of permanent kidney failure, patients must undergo dialysis to replace the blood cleaning function of kidneys. Dialysis requires vascular access, a process where blood is removed, purified, and returned to the patient’s vasculature. Current methods for providing access, however, suffer from high failure rates. Combining CFD simulations with shape optimization techniques provides a way to better understand and predict such failure.

In this blog post, we will introduce the concept of shape optimization for adjusting part dimensions by using analytic sensitivity methods. If you have a single objective function that you want to improve, a set of geometric parameters that you want to change, as well as a set of constraints, then you can use the functionality of the Optimization Module and the Deformed Geometry interface in COMSOL Multiphysics to find the optimal structure without any remeshing. Let’s find out how!

Think about the first architects who designed a bridge above water. The design process likely included several trials and subsequent failures before they could safely allow people to cross the river. COMSOL Multiphysics and the Optimization Module would have helped make this process much simpler, if they had computers at the time, of course. Before we start to discuss building and optimizing bridges, let’s first identify the best design for a simple beam with the help of topology optimization.

You may know of Boreas, the Greek god of North Wind, but did you know that it’s also the name of a German team for Formula 1 in schools? This is no coincidence; it describes their strong will to develop race cars that are “as fast as a storm”. With this spirit and COMSOL Multiphysics, the team won several qualifying races, reached third place in the 2014 world finals, and was honored with the innovation award for Research and Development.

There’s a new book out there for those of you who work with or research electromechanical system design. It’s titled Multiphysics Simulation: Electromechanical System Applications and Optimization and is more than your average textbook. This is a reference guide on simulation and topology optimization written with both students and industry engineers in mind.