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Tutorial – 16: Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization on an Airplane Wing Rib.
In this tutorial, an existing finite element model of an aluminum wing rib model will be used to demonstrate how to
do free-sizing optimization using OptiStruct. HyperView will be used to post-process the thickness pattern in the
rib.

Wing rib model

There are four shell components in the model: the mounting flange, the web, the top and bottom flanges, and the
lug. The web is connected to the lug by gap elements. Appropriate properties, loads, boundary conditions, and
nonlinear subcases have already been defined in the model. The design region is the web and the rest of the
components are non-design. Since a large portion of aerospace components are shell structures which are
manufactured by machining or milling operations, free-sizing optimization is very suitable for those components.
To understand the limitations of topology optimization for such applications, a nonlinear gap topology optimization
will also be done on the wing rib model.

The optimization problem for this tutorial is stated as:

Objective: Minimize weighted compliance WCOMP.

Constraints: Volume fraction on the web < 0.3.

Design variables for free Thickness of each shell element in the design space.
sizing optimization:

Design variables for Element density of each element in the design domain.
topology optimization:

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Tutorial – 16: Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization on an Airplane Wing Rib.

In this tutorial, you will:

 Set up a free-sizing optimization with nonlinear gap elements.

 Post-process the thickness convergence in the design domain.
 Set up a topology optimization with nonlinear gap elements.
 Post-process the material distribution in the design domain.
 Review and compare results from free-size optimization and topology optimization.

Exercise
Step 1: Launch HyperMesh Desktop, Set the User Profile, and Retrieve the File.

1. Launch HyperMesh Desktop.

2. Choose OptiStruct in the User Profile dialog and click OK.
3. From the File drop-down menu on the toolbar, select Open…
An Open file… browser window pops up.
4. Select the rib_complete.hm file.
5. Click Open.

Step 2: Create Design Variable for Free-sizing Optimization.

1. From the Analysis page, select the optimization panel.

2. Select the free size panel.
3. Choose the create subpanel using the radio button on the left.
4. Click desvar= and enter shells.
5. Verify that type: is set to PSHELL.
6. Click props, choose the Web component and click select.
7. Click create.
This creates the design variable for free-sizing optimization.

Step 3: Create Manufacturing Constraints for Free-sizing.

1. While still in the Free Size Optimization panel, select the parameters subpanel.
2. Click desvars and select the shells design variable created previously.
3. Toggle minmemb off and, for mindim =, enter 2.0.
4. Click update.
5. Click return.

Step 4: Create Optimization Responses, Objective, and Constraints.

1. Select the responses panel.

First, the weighted compliance response will be created.
2. For response =, input the name wcomp.
3. Click the switch for response type and go to the next page of available types by using >>, and then click
on weighted comp.
4. Click loadsteps and select both the Coup_Ver and Pressure loadcases.
The weighting factor should be 1.0 for both.
5. Click return.
6. Click create.
7. For response =, input the name volfrac to create the volume fraction response.

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Tutorial – 16: Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization on an Airplane Wing Rib.
8. For response type, go to the previous page using <<, and then click on volume frac.
9. Leave the type as total.
10. Click create.
11. Click return.
12. Click on the dconstraints panel to define the volume fraction constraint.
13. For constraint =, input the name vol.
14. Click response =, and select the volfrac response.
15. For upper bound =, input a value of 0.3.
16. Click create.
17. Click return.
18. Click on the objective panel to define the objective.
19. Toggle to min if not already done.
20. For response =, select the wcomp response.
21. Click create.
22. Click return twice to exit the panel.
The optimization parameters have now been defined.

Step 5: Run Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization.

1. From the Analysis page, select the OptiStruct panel.
2. Click save as… following the input file: field.
3. Select the directory where you would like to write the optimization file and enter the name
rib_freesize.fem in the File name: field.
4. Click Save.
Note the name and location of the rib_freesize.fem file shows in the input file: field.
5. Set the export options: toggle to all.
6. Click the run options: switch and select optimization.
7. Set the memory options: toggle to memory default.
8. Click OptiStruct.
This launches the OptiStruct job
If the job was successful, new results files can be seen in the directory where the OptiStruct model file
was written. The rib_freesize.out file is a good place to look for error messages that will help to
debug the input deck if any errors are present.
The default files written to the directory are:

rib_freesize.hgdata HyperGraph file containing data for the objective function,

percent constraint violations, and constraint for each
iteration.

rib_freesize_hist.mvw This file is a HypeView session file and may be opened from
the File drop-down menu in HyperView or HyperGraph. The
file automatically creates individual plots for each of the
results (objectives, constraints) contained in the .hist file.
Each plot occupies its own page within HyperView
(HyperGraph).

rib_freesize.HM.comp.cmf This is a HyperMesh command file. When executed in

HyperMesh, the .HM.comp.cmf file organizes all elements
in the model into ten new components based on their
element thicknesses at the final iteration. The components
for this run are named 0.0-0.01, 0.01-0.02, 0.02-0.03, and
so on, up to 0.09-0.1, considering the plate thickness of the
Web is 0.1mm.

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Tutorial – 16: Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization on an Airplane Wing Rib.
rib_freesize.HM.ent.cmf This is a HyperMesh command file. When executed in
HyperMesh, the .HM.ent.cmf file organizes all elements
in the model into ten new sets based on their element
thicknesses at the final iteration. The set for this run are
named 0.0-0.01, 0.01-0.02, 0.02-0.03, and so on, up to
0.09-0.1, considering the plate thickness of the Web is
0.1mm.

rib_freesize.html HTML report of the optimization, giving a summary of the

problem formulation and the results from the final iteration.

rib_freesize_frame.html The file contains two frames. The top frame opens one of
the .h3d files using the HyperView Player browser plug-in.
The .h3d file opened depends on the results selected for
display in the bottom frame. The bottom frame opens the
_menu.html file, which facilitates the selection of results to
be displayed.

rib_freesize_menu.html This file facilitates the selection of the appropriate .h3d file
for the HyperView Player browser plug-in in the top frame of
the _frames.html file, based on chosen results.

rib_freesize.oss The file contains default settings for running OSSmooth

after a successful optimization.

rib_freesize.out OptiStruct output file containing specific information on the

file setup, the setup of the optimization problem, estimates
for the amount of RAM and disk space required for the run,
information for each optimization iteration, and compute
time information. Review this file for warnings and errors
that are flagged from processing the rib_freesize.fem
file.

rib_freesize.res HyperMesh binary results file.

rib_freesize.sh Shape file for the final iteration. The .sh file may be used to
restart a run.

rib_freesize.stat Summary of analysis process, providing CPU information for

each step during analysis process.

rib_freesize_des.h3d HyperView binary results file for element thickness

information.

rib_freesize_s1.h3d HyperView binary results file for displacement and stress

results for subcase 1.

rib_freesize_s2.h3d HyperView binary results file for displacement and stress

results for subcase 2.

rib_freesize.fsthick The element definitions for those elements that were part of
a free size design space. The optimized thickness of these
elements are provided as nodal thickness values (Ti).

rib_freesize.hist ASCII table file with: Iteration Objective

Max_Const_Violation Design_variables DRESP1s
DESP2s.

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Tutorial – 16: Free-sizing Nonlinear Gap Optimization on an Airplane Wing Rib.
rib_freesize.mvw This file is a HypeView session file and may be opened from
the File drop-down menu in HyperView. The file
automatically creates individual load the optimization results
(dens.h3d) and the loadstep results (s#.h3d).

Post-process the Thickness Convergence in the Design Domain

Element thickness distributions are output from OptiStruct for all iterations. In addition, Displacement and Stress
results are output for each subcase for the first and last iteration by default. This section describes how to view
those results in HyperView.

1. From the OptiStruct panel, click the HyperView button.

This should launch HyperView and load the rib_freesize.mwv session which is linked with the .h3d
files, reading the model and the results.
2. Click close to close the message window.

3. Click the Entity Attributes icon on the toolbar and undisplay all of the components, except Web.
You can do this by activating the Auto apply mode: (Display OFF) and then clicking on the component
that you want turned off in the GUI.

4. Click the Mesh:, shaded mesh option .

5. Click on the Web component to get a shaded mesh.

6. Go to the Contour panel and set the Result type: to Element Thicknesses.
7. From the Graphics drop-down menu, choose Select Load Case to open the Load Case and
Simulation Selection dialog.
8. Select the last iteration listed in the Simulation list and click OK.
9. Click Top in the view controls section (in bottom right of HyperView panel) to get a top view of the Web.
10. Click Apply.
This will show the contour element thickness on the Web component.

Thickness contour from free-sizing nonlinear gap optimization, on the Web of plate thickness 0.1mm.
As can be seen from the figure above, the result from free-sizing optimization is a web with optimized
thickness distribution that can be reduced subsequently into larger zones for simplification of the
manufacturing process. Moreover, the design obtained from free-sizing offers the freedom to create
cavities, ribs, and varying thickness simultaneously, which is not possible in topology optimization.

11. Use the Page Navigation controls to return to Page 1 and the HyperMesh client.

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