Analysis of a disk made of 4 different material layers

Rahul_P1

Hi,
I am learning Hypermesh using the tutorials. I am interested in the analysis of a disk made of 4 different material layers. I want to optimize the thickness of 2 of these material layers in order to get minimum stresses in the disk. One of the approaches I know is modelling the whole disk a number of times with different material layer thicknesses and then analyzing to decide which thicknesses work the best.
Since this is very time consuming, I would like to know if there is a simpler way to do this.

Thanks in advance!
AB

Rahul_P1

AB,

You need to use the optimization tool OptiStruct instead of just FE Analysis,

Use size optimization where the properties of structural elements such as shell thickness, are modified to solve the optimization problem with an objective such as reducing stress.

You can always distinguish the material layers using different properties that will be assigned to these layers,

RADIOSS, MotionSolve, and OptiStruct Tutorials > OptiStruct > Size Optimization > OS-4010: Size Optimization of a Welded Bracket is a very good place to start for you as the model is optimized to minimize stress.