A geometry trimming approach for topology optimization of acoustic problems

Resumo

One challenging scientific problem in Topology Optimization (TO) is how to set its framework to ac-
count for different physics, such as acoustics. In this case, the dynamic acoustic pressure oscillations and numerical

issues when interpolating acoustic and solid material properties become a burden. In this paper, we first investigate
the use of Topology Optimization of Binary Structures with Geometry Trimming (TOBS-GT) for solving acoustic
problems. The governing equations are solved via the Finite Element Method and sensitivities are computed with
the adjoint method by using automatic differentiation. In order to verify the proposed methodology, a 2D acoustic
problem was investigated. The objective is to minimize the average sound pressure level on a certain part of a
2D rectangular room by trimming out the design domain along the ceiling. The obtained results are similar to the
ones found in the literature solved with different TO methods. The potential advantages here are obtaining designs
without gray scale and with well-defined boundaries. This indicates that the TOBS-GT approach is a promising
tool for solving acoustic problems.