Optimal design of functionally graded material for stress concentration reduction

Abstract Young’s modulus distribution, a significant parameter of a functionally graded material, is investigated to reduce the stress concentration. An evolutionary optimization algorithm of Young’s modulus is developed. A power law function is adopted to control the Young’s modulus evolution process, and the selection criterion of the power law index is presented and evaluated with an evaluation model. The degree of the stress concentration is represented by the stress concentration factor and is defined as the objective function. A finite element analysis is performed to obtain the stress distribution. The effectiveness of the Young’s modulus design for reducing the stress concentration is verified based on two cases. The results indicate that the stress concentration factor together with the maximum stress could be reduced simultaneously. The evolutionary optimization algorithm of Young’s modulus developed in this paper provides an effective approach for the optimal design of functionally graded material for stress concentration reduction.