Topology optimization in micromechanical resonator design

A topology optimization problem in micromechanical resonator design is addressed in this paper. The design goal is to control the first several eigenfrequencies of a micromechanical resonator using topology optimization. The design variable is the distribution of mass in a constrained domain which we model via (1) the Simple Isotropic Material with Penalization Model and (2) the Peak Function Model. The overall optimization problem is solved using the Method of Moving Asymptotes and a Genetic Algorithm combined with a local gradient method. A numerical example is presented to highlight the features of the methods in more detail. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed.