Overview of LS-TaSCTM and New Feature Highlights

The general capabilities of LS-TaSC were designed to solve topology and shape optimization of large nonlinear problems involving dynamic loads and contact conditions applied to solid and shell structures. LS-TaSC can deal with huge models with up to 10 million elements, multiple load cases, and multiple disciplines. Three main categories of structural optimization problems can be addressed by LS-TaSC, including topology optimization, topometry optimization, and shape optimization. Topology optimization uses the relative densities of elements as design variables, minimizes the structural mass or a response, or maintain a target mass fraction at the global level, and maximizes the structural stiffness or the fundamental frequency at the local level. Topometry optimization uses the shell element thicknesses as the design variables, and it has similar setting options in terms of the definition of the objective function. Shape optimization chooses a free shape of the outer surface contour to design and finds the best surface shape that yields a uniform stress on the surface. The von Mises stress field is designed, and the uniform surface stress reduces the occurrences of stress concentration.