Keywords: optimal topology design, robust topology optimization, uncertain-but-bounded parameters, uncertain load direction, unified uncertainty management..

Papers written by Sigmund and Andreassen et al. demonstrated that SIMP-based topology optimization can be easily implemented in less than hundred lines of MATLAB code. The study, reported in this paper, has been inspired by these papers. Based on the above papers, this paper demonstrates that, by simple and easy-tounderstand modifications a few lines longer MATLAB code is obtained from the original 88 line MATLAB code, which is able to solve topology optimization problems with uncertain load directions. The essence of the novel concept is independent from the theoretical description of the uncertainty, which may be either probabilistic (stochastic) or possibilistic (fuzzy). In the unified (non-probabilistic and non-possibilistic) approach presented, the varying load directions are handled as "uncertain-but-bounded" parameters. The result of the optimization is a robust compliance-minimal design for a given volume constraint which is invariant to the investigated loading directional uncertainty. The key element of the proposed robust optimization algorithm is a worst load direction searching model, which can be formulated as a small quadratic programming problem with linearized constraints and box constraints.

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