In the last decades, topology optimization has been widely investigated as a preliminary design tool to minimize the use of material in a structure. Despite this, applications to realistic three‐dimensional engineering problems are still limited. This study provides the instruments for the definition of a versatile and integrated framework in order to apply topology optimization to large‐scale 3‐D domains for the design of efficient and high‐performing structures. The paper proposes a novel topology optimization strategy to identify the optimal layout of lateral resisting systems for tall buildings through the adoption of Mindlin–Reissner shell elements for the discretization of the continuum design domain. The framework is based on the practical interoperability between MATLAB, Ansys, and computer‐aided design (CAD) environments to incorporate optimization routines in the conceptual design phase of structural systems. Finally, the paper examines a three‐dimensional tall building case study in order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed procedure to realistic Civil Engineering design problems and its robustness in finding optimal layouts free from mesh‐dependency instabilities.

中文翻译：

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使用Shell元素的三维域集成拓扑优化框架

在过去的几十年中，拓扑优化已被广泛研究作为一种初步的设计工具，以最大程度地减少结构中材料的使用。尽管如此，对实际的三维工程问题的应用仍然受到限制。这项研究为定义通用和集成的框架提供了工具，以便将拓扑优化应用于大型3D域以设计高效和高性能的结构。本文提出了一种新颖的拓扑优化策略，通过采用Mindlin-Reissner壳单元来离散化连续设计域，从而确定高层建筑的侧向阻力系统的最佳布局。该框架基于MATLAB，Ansys，计算机辅助设计（CAD）环境，以将优化例程纳入结构系统的概念设计阶段。最后，本文考察了三维高层建筑案例研究，以证明所提出的程序对现实的土木工程设计问题的适用性及其在寻找不受网格依赖不稳定性影响的最佳布局方面的鲁棒性。