Keywords: topology optimization, heterogeneous interface, additive manufacturing, thermal compliance, thermostructural design, multimaterial.

This paper presents a thermostructural topology optimization method for the design of multimaterial heterogeneous interfaces in additive manufacturing, where efficient heat transport and reliable load carrying must be achieved simultaneously. The spatial distribution of two constituent materials is employed as a unified design variable, and an optimization framework is established by coupling the steady-state heat conduction equation, the structural equilibrium equation, the thermal compliance objective, and the constraints on allowable stress and material volume fraction. A horizontally layered reference layout is adopted as the common initial configuration so that the interface evolution induced by different boundary conditions can be assessed on a consistent basis. Numerical investigations show that the proposed method generates continuous, stable, and physically interpretable heterogeneous interfaces under regular thermal and mechanical boundaries. The highly conductive phase preferentially reconstructs the dominant heat-flow path, whereas the high-allowable-stress phase is concentrated around the support and loading regions to preserve structural safety. Compared with the initial layered configuration, the optimized designs achieve a marked reduction in thermal compliance together with improved mean and peak temperature levels. The results confirm that the unified treatment of heat-transfer behavior, stress safety, and interface organization provides an effective foundation for the high-performance design of multimaterial structures for additive manufacturing.

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