Design optimization, from NX CAD, is the application of numerical algorithms and techniques to engineering systems to assist the designers in improving the system’s performance, weight, reliability, and cost. Most engineering systems have a very large number of variables, and designers must specify appropriate values for these variables. However, because of the size and complexity of a typical design task, even the most skilled designer cannot always consider all the variables simultaneously. This is where design optimization plays a useful role.

There is no correct and wrong design. This application changes the output design according to the insert variables. In this article, we will discuss the different designs due to different variables.

The most common variables are:

• Shape Constraints,
• Optimization constraints (mass, stress, displacement optimization),
• Loads,
• Fixed constraints.

The design in the first place is shown down below.

Figure 1: The unoptimized design.

It is important to specify the part of the body that you are not going to optimize. This volume is specified with extra bodies like the next figure.

Figure 2: Different optimization areas.

The region close to the gray bodies cannot be optimized. The program subtracts material only from the beam (with the ecru color).

Τhere will be a result comparison, according to the variables defined:

Figure 3: Results from the design optimization.

You can validate the results by plotting the distribution of stress or displacement according to the load case.

Figure 4: Stress validation.

The conclusion is that Siemens provides an opportunity for designers, to optimize the structures without knowing numerical simulation. The designer must specify the geometric characteristics and the target weight (or the maximum stress or the maximum displacement) of the structure.

We at FEAC hope that this blog post has been interesting and that you will be able to create a nice FE Analysis after reading this. If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us at support@feacomp.com