Three-dimensional topology optimization for geotechnical foundations in granular soil

This article presents three-dimensional structural optimization in geotechnical engineering for foundations in granular soil. The general design (topology) of a shallow foundation is optimized with respect to its deformational behaviour within the service limit state. The SIMP (solid isotropic material with penalization) method is applied to optimize the distribution of foundation material. The soil is modelled as a hypoplastic material with a constitutive model suitable for optimization using finite element analysis. Two load cases are examined. The optimized topology is validated against two-dimensional optimization and 1g-model test results. The present study proves the applicability and shows the potential of topology optimization in geotechnical engineering.