Machine Learning to Aid Tuning of Numerical Parameters in Topology Optimization

Abstract Recent advances in design optimization have significant potential to improve the function of mechanical components and systems. Coupled with additive manufacturing, topology optimization is one category of numerical methods used to produce algorithmically generated optimized designs making a difference in the mechanical design of hardware currently being introduced to the market. Unfortunately, many of these algorithms require extensive manual setup and control, particularly of tuning parameters that control algorithmic function and convergence. This paper introduces a framework based on machine learning approaches to recommend tuning parameters to a user in order to avoid costly trial and error involved in manual tuning. The algorithm reads tuning parameters from a repository of prior, similar problems adjudged using a dissimilarity metric based on problem metadata and refines them for the current problem using a Bayesian optimization approach. The approach is demonstrated for a simple topology optimization problem with the objective of achieving good topology optimization solution quality and then with the additional objective of finding an optimal “trade” between solution quality and required computational time. The goal is to reduce the total number of “wasted” tuning runs that would be required for purely manual tuning. With more development, the framework may ultimately be useful on an enterprise level for analysis and optimization problems—topology optimization is one example but the framework is also applicable to other optimization problems such as shape and sizing and in high-fidelity physics-based analysis models—and enable these types of advanced approaches to be used more efficiently.