Study on minimization of weld deformation for lower support structure by application of design optimization technique

The lower support structure (LSS) is assembled by welding of the cylinder, grid beams and plates. So, assembling the LSS takes long period to compensate the weld deformation. In this paper, a optimal design for the LSS grid beam is performed to minimize weld deformation using the ANSYS optimization module. For this purpose, the size and type of grid beam holes are considered as design variables to demonstrate the change of weld length after optimization. The results show that the LSS weld length can be reduced so that the weld deformation is expected to be minimized