Computational & Technology Resources
an online resource for computational,
engineering & technology publications
Civil-Comp Conferences
ISSN 2753-3239
CCC: 14
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTEENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGY
Edited by: P. Iványi, J. Kruis and B.H.V. Topping
Paper 15.3

Application of Hierarchical Rotational Shell Finite Elements

I. Páczelt1, B. Szabó2 and A. Baksa1

1Institute of Applied Mechanics, University of Miskolc, Hungary
2, Washington University in St. Louis, USA

Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper
I. Páczelt, B. Szabó, A. Baksa, "Application of Hierarchical Rotational Shell Finite Elements", in P. Iványi, J. Kruis, B.H.V. Topping, (Editors), "Proceedings of the Sixteenth International Conference on Computational Structures Technology", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 14, Paper 15.3, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.14.15.3
Keywords: finite element method, hierarchical model, shells of revolution, theory of elasticity, convergence solutions, director and field functions.

Abstract
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.

download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 14 pages, 1094 Kb)

go to the previous paper
return to the table of contents
return to the volume description