Thermo-mechanical coupled topology optimization for sandwich structures with non-uniform infill

This study presents a thermo-mechanical coupled topology optimization framework for designing sandwich structures with non-uniform infill, which will fully explore the sandwich structural multi-functionality related to load-carrying and thermal conduction. By using two design variable fields, the fundamental sandwich topology is formulated through two-step density filtering and local volume constraint. The compliance minimization topology optimization model is constructed with both material usage and maximum temperature constraints in combination with weak thermo-mechanical coupled analysis. Corresponding sensitivities are derived into optimizer to update the topology. Several numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in combination with different parameter setting. Finally, the proposed method is used to design the power battery module bracket.