Magnetic actuator design using level set based topology optimization

This paper presents a novel design methodology for optimum structural design of magnetic actuators using a level set based topology optimization method where the level set method can represent the precise boundary shape of a structure and also deal with complex topological changes during the optimization process. The distribution of ferromagnetic material is represented by introducing a level set function into the definition of the magnetic reluctivity. The optimization problem is defined to obtain optimal configurations that maximize the magnetic energy of actuators under a minimum bound of total volume. The movement of the implicit moving boundaries of the structure is driven by a transformation of design sensitivities of the objective and the constraints into speed functions that govern the level set propagation. The proposed method is applied to the structural design of magnetic actuators, and is confirmed to be useful for achieving optimal configurations that deliver higher performance and lighter weight designs.