Defining Frozen Areas for Topology Optimization

You can define element groups as the frozen area to maintain material in certain parts of the design area, such that they remain unchanged in the optimized model.

This task shows you how to:

Define a Frozen Area in Tosca Structure.gui

Define a Frozen Area in Tosca Structure.gui

To define a frozen area, choose Command > DVCON_TOPO in the Tosca Structure.pre screen.
Name the element group that is to be frozen in the ID_NAME field. If the element group is not already defined, it is necessary to define it in advance using the GROUP_DEF command.
As Type, select Frozen.
The resulting command looks like:
```
DVCON_TOPO
ID_NAME    = frozen_area
EL_GROUP   = frozen_grp
CHECK_TYPE = FROZEN
END_
```
This constraint for the design variables is activated when it is referenced in the OPTIMIZE command.