Multi-component topology optimization for die casting (MTO-D)

This paper presents a multi-component topology optimization method for the structural assemblies that are made of components produced by die casting (MTO-D) processes, where each part is guaranteed to be free from fully enclosed cavities and undercuts in the direction of mold drawing. Building upon our previous work on multi-component topology optimization for stamped sheet (MTO-S) metal assemblies, the proposed mathematical formulation incorporates new design variables specifying the parting line for each component. For each component, the structural elements are clustered into the core and cavity halves by using the parting line as a linear classifier for the point clouds represented by the density and membership values. The presence of undercut features and fully enclosed cavities are then evaluated for each mold half using the vector method with the numerically approximated density gradient. Several numerical examples on compliance minimization are presented to demonstrate the proposed method. The optimized results show that each part is indeed moldable with no undercut in the drawing direction and has no fully enclosed cavity.