Topological optimization of a structural naval component manufactured in FDM

In this paper, a topological optimization procedure has been applied on a real component of the deck of a sailing multi-hull in order to find the internal shape that best save the material used in the manufacturing process without a relevant loss of structural rigidity. The multi-hull boat is a 16 feet length catamaran equipped with an asymmetric foil on both centerboards and with a symmetric foil on both rudders. The task of the analyzed object is to act as a cylindrical support for the screw that drives the rotation of the centerboard. The process adopted to manufacture this object is the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique, because of its high versatility and its relative low-cost impact. The aim of this work is to verify the applicability of FDM to structural naval component subjected to demanding loads during navigation and, at the same time, to investigate on the robustness of a topology optimization strategy in creating new shapes that recent additive manufacturing are able to create.