Beads are channel-like features in thin-walled components and a useful concept for incorporating structural stiffeners in thin metal sheets. Historically, design rules were established based on experience, defining what constitutes a stiffening bead pattern. This led to the development of empirical rules and design criteria that describe how to design a bead arrangement for flat metal sheets.
In shape optimization, bead optimization is a sub-discipline that aims to generate bead-like features in thin-walled geometries. In free-form shape optimization, predominantly organic features are generated, which can complicate the interpretation of the results by engineers. Generating engineering features such as beads can help in this regard.
There are many methods for imposing bead features. At the Chair of Structural Analysis we developed a method that introduces bead-like features through an appropriate geometry parameterization. It combines the explicit filtering method called Vertex Morphing with morphological operators. The morphological operators generate plateaus, and Vertex Morphing smooths the resulting discontinuous field.
