A study of design velocity field computation for shape optimal design (Q1328685)

Theoretical regularity and practical requirements of the design velocity fields are discussed. The crucial step of using the design velocity field to update the finite element mesh in the design optimization process is emphasized. Available design velocity field computation methods in the literature are summarized, and their applicability to shape design sensitivity analysis and optimization is discussed. Five examples are employed to discuss applicability of these methods. It was found that a combination of isoparametric mapping and boundary displacement methods is ideal for the design velocity field computation.