A parametric study on topology optimization of additively manufactured clay materials

This study explores the potential of combining topology optimization procedure with additive manufacturing technologies in promoting efficient, sustainable and eco-friendly architectural designs by leveraging the features of commercially available software and industrial 3D printers to achieve feasible solutions by specifically targeting clay-based materials and the problems inherent to it. Employing Solid Isotropic Material with Penalisation (SIMP) approach, implemented in ABAQUS® software, numerous analyses are performed to evaluate the impact of basic optimization parameters on final material layouts of two-dimensional (2D) plates under pressure loading, to be utilized in three-dimensional (3D) case. With the integration of experimental 3D printing trials, the design of clay columns for additive manufacturing purposes are addressed, whereas for the encountered challenges, some remedies, including geometrical constraints are incorporated into the optimization procedure. The study has the merit of providing a practical application on clay-based columns with an intension to validate the feasibility of translating high-fidelity optimization results of commercial softwares into physically manufacturable components by facilitating industrial extrusion and printing systems without compromising the integrity of the final designs.