Topological Design for Acoustic-Structure Interaction Problems with a Mixed Finite Element Method

We propose a gradient based topology optimization algorithm for acoustic-structure (Vibro-acoustic) interaction problems without an explicit interfacing boundary representation. In acoustic-structure interaction problems, the pressure field and the displacement field are governed by the Helmholtz equation and the linear elasticity equation, respectively, and it is necessary that the governing equations should be properly evolved with respect to the design variables in the design domain. Moreover, all the boundary conditions obtained by computing surface coupling integrals should be properly imposed to subdomain interfaces evolving during the optimization process. In this paper, we propose to use a mixed finite element formulation with displacements and pressure as primary variables (u/p formulation) which eliminates the need for explicit boundary representation. In order to describe the Helmholtz equation and the linear elasticity equation, the mass density as well as the shear and bulk moduli are interpolated with the design variables. In this formulation, the coupled interface boundary conditions are automatically satisfied without having to compute surface coupling integrals. Two dimensional acoustic-structure interaction problems are optimized to show the validity of the proposed method.