Casper Schousboe Andreasen

The mechanical performance of short‐fiber‐reinforced polymers produced by Material EXtrusion Additive Manufacturing (MEX‐AM) is strongly influenced by the fiber microstructure formed during deposition. This work introduces a manufacturing‐aware topology optimization framework that exploits process‐induced microstructure control to enhance structural performance. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model of the material deposition process is used to predict the spatial evolution of fiber orientation as a function of nozzle rotation speed, revealing a continuous transition from highly aligned to nearly isotropic. Based on these simulations, an effective material model is constructed in which the local elastic properties depend directly on the chosen nozzle rotation speed. This model is integrated into a density‐based topology optimization scheme that simultaneously determines the structural layout, the spatially varying fiber orientations, and the local level of anisotropy. The nozzle rotation speed acts as a design variable that allows the optimizer to tailor the anisotropy ratio throughout the structure. Numerical examples show that the framework naturally assigns highly aligned fibers to regions dominated by uniaxial loading, while favoring microstructures with low anisotropy in areas experiencing multi‐axial or shear‐dominated stress states. The results demonstrate the potential of coupling process‐level microstructure prediction with topology optimization to design fiber‐reinforced components for MEX-AM with spatially programmed material behavior. The proposed approach establishes a general pathway for integrating manufacturing physics with design optimization in additively manufactured structures.

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This review paper provides an overview of the literature for topology optimisation of fluid-based problems, starting with the seminal works on the subject and ending with a snapshot of the state of the art of this rapidly developing field. “Fluid-based problems” are defined as problems where at least one governing equation for fluid flow is solved and the fluid–solid interface is optimised. In addition to fluid flow, any number of additional physics can be solved, such as species transport, heat transfer and mechanics. The review covers 186 papers from 2003 up to and including January 2020, which are sorted into five main groups: pure fluid flow; species transport; conjugate heat transfer; fluid–structure interaction; microstructure and porous media. Each paper is very briefly introduced in chronological order of publication. A quantititive analysis is presented with statistics covering the development of the field and presenting the distribution over subgroups. Recommendations for focus areas of future research are made based on the extensive literature review, the quantitative analysis, as well as the authors’ personal experience and opinions. Since the vast majority of papers treat steady-state laminar pure fluid flow, with no recent major advancements, it is recommended that future research focuses on more complex problems, e.g., transient and turbulent flow.