| Popis: |
Commonly used building structures often show a hierarchic layout of structural elements. It can be questioned whether such a layout originates from practical considerations, e.g. related to its construction, or that it is (relatively) optimal from a structural point of view. This paper investigates this question by using topology optimisation in an attempt to generate a commonly used timber floor. The optimisation is conducted using 3D-volume elements so the topology can differentiate over the height, making a hierarchic layout at least possible. First results show indeed a hierarchic layout, however the floor surface is non-continuous, due to low density areas, reducing its practical applicability. Black and white filtering is proposed via a Heaviside function to avoid the low density areas. Although some implementation issues exist, this function results in a more continuous floor surface, suggesting that a hierarchic layout is optimal from a structural point of view. |
