Design of thermomechanical structures using topology optimization

Since the direct numerical modeling of mechanical structures used for heating/cooling and subject to external loads with a collection of small pores/inclusions mostly periodic in nature, subject to heat transfer and/or fluid flow, such as the ones in heat sinks requires considerable computational costs, the introduction of equivalent media with average or effective thermal and poro-elastic properties has been common practice and is the main emphasis of this project.
The students are required to develop analysis/design tools based on homogenization and topology optimization. These designs will be manufactured using additive manufacturing. This is an on-goin project via industrial collaboration.