Automated computation of topological derivatives with application to nonlinear elasticity and reaction-diffusion problems

Abstract

Purpose While topological derivatives have proven useful in applications of topology optimisation and inverse problems, their mathematically rigorous derivation remains an ongoing research topic, in particular in the context of nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) constraints. Design/methodology/approach We present a systematic yet formal approach for the computation of topological derivatives of a large class of PDE-constrained topology optimization problems with respect to arbitrary inclusion shapes. Scalar and vector-valued as well as linear and nonlinear elliptic PDE constraints are considered in two and three space dimensions including a nonlinear elasticity model and nonlinear reaction-diffusion problems. The systematic procedure follows a Lagrangian approach for computing topological derivatives. Findings For problems where the exact formula is known, the numerically computed values show good coincidence. Moreover, by inserting the computed values into the topological asymptotic expansion, we verify that the obtained values satisfy the expected behaviour also for other, previously unknown problems, indicating the correctness of the procedure. Originality/value We present a systematic approach for the computation of topological derivatives that is applicable to a large class of problems. Most notably, our approach covers the topological derivative for a nonlinear elasticity problem, which has not been reported in the literature.