Algorithms for 2D Mesh Decomposition in Distributed Design Optimization

Optimization of thin-walled structures like an aircraft wing, aircraft fuselage or submarine hull often involves dividing the shell surface into numerous localized panels, each characterized by its own set of design variables. The process of extracting information about a localized panel (nodal coordinates, mesh connectivity) from a finite element model, input file is usually a problem-specific task. In this work, a generalized process to extract localized panels from the two-dimensional (2D) mesh is discussed. The process employs set operations on elemental connectivity information and is independent of nodal coordinates. Thus, it is capable of extracting panel of any shape given the boundary and thus can be used during optimization of a wide range of structures. A method to create stiffeners on the resulting local panels is also presented, and the effect of stiffener element size on buckling is studied. The local panel extraction process is demonstrated by integrating it into a distributed MDO framework for optimization of an aircraft wing having curvilinear spars and ribs (SpaRibs). A range of examples is included wherein the process is used to create panels on the wing-skin, bounded by adjacent SpaRibs.