3D Topology Optimization using Convolutional Neural Networks

Topology optimization is computationally demanding that requires the assembly and solution to a finite element problem for each material distribution hypothesis. As a complementary alternative to the traditional physics-based topology optimization, we explore a data-driven approach that can quickly generate accurate solutions. To this end, we propose a deep learning approach based on a 3D encoder-decoder Convolutional Neural Network architecture for accelerating 3D topology optimization and to determine the optimal computational strategy for its deployment. Analysis of iteration-wise progress of the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization process is used as a guideline to study how the earlier steps of the conventional topology optimization can be used as input for our approach to predict the final optimized output structure directly from this input. We conduct a comparative study between multiple strategies for training the neural network and assess the effect of using various input combinations for the CNN to finalize the strategy with the highest accuracy in predictions for practical deployment. For the best performing network, we achieved about 40% reduction in overall computation time while also attaining structural accuracies in the order of 96%.