A Multi-Material Topology Optimization Formulation for Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing of Non-Periodic Architected Structures

Topology optimization algorithms allow the design of optimized structures under prescribed constraints, loads, and boundary conditions. With such classical approaches the topology undergoes continuous changes during optimization iterations. In this contribution, in order to deal with the challenges posed by classical large-scale topology optimization, we propose a novel structural optimization framework in which the structural topology is optimized by means of a multi-material approach while at the macroscale the geometry of the domain is kept fixed. The formulation leverages on the selection of suitable non-periodic architectures at the microscale, such as spinodal configurations, which allow to explore a wide class of topologies. In order to illustrate the key features of the proposed approach as well as its applications to additive manufacturing, numerical examples are presented and several benchmark optimized structures are manufactured by means of an innovative powder-bed large-scale 3D printing technique.