Two-Step Structural Optimization Method for Meta-Mechanical Structures with Thermal Deformation Suppression

In high-precision mechanical systems, such as machine tools, thermal deformation significantly impacts accuracy. This paper proposes a design method for meta-mechanical structures to reduce effective thermal deformation in mechanical systems using topology optimization. The proposed design method consists of two steps. In the first step, the configuration of Material 1 is optimized to maximize stiffness. In the second step, while keeping the configuration of Material 1 fixed, the configuration of Material 2, which has a different thermal expansion coefficient, is optimized to reduce thermal deformation. This study aims to minimize relative position changes and angular changes in the target area to control effective thermal deformation. The validity of the proposed method was verified by applying it to a three-dimensional design problem.