Optimal configuration design of elastic structures for stability

The authors find the optimum shape/topological design of a plane stress "column-like " structure under a given volume of material for design, such that its uniaxial buckling load can be maximized. In order to achieve the objective, a generalized topology optimization approach incorporating a unimodal formulation is introduced by comprehensively extending Bendose and Kikuchi\´s work (1988). Through the optimal distribution of material in the design domain, with the same volume of material as the initial design, a structure with higher stability than that of the initial design is produced. The effectiveness and versatility in the application of this approach are substantiated through application to several typical engineering design problems.