Jan Bartolj, Rok Jelovčan, izr. prof. dr. Franc Majdič, univ. dipl. inž., vsi Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za strojništvo

Ventil 31 (2025) 6 / Review articles / Other Scientific Article – 1.03

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5545/Ventil-31-2025-6.12

Abstract​:
The article presents the use of the Gradient Adjoint Method for numerical optimization of internal channels in hydraulic manifolds manufactured using additive manufactuirng. Traditional design methods are often limiting the geometry due to machining and support structure requirements. Additive manufacturing enables complex geometries; however, for components with internal fluid flow, it is still necessary to consider the constraints of additive manufacturing processes and self-supporting conditions. The applied method allows efficient computation of the influence of shape changes on pressure losses without the need to repeat simulations for every geometric modification. The results show that this method can reduce pressure losses in the channel by approximately 25% compared to the baseline geometry. For comparison, parametric optimization reduced the pressure drop by 15%. These results confirm the effectiveness of numerical optimization in developing energy-efficient hydraulic components.

Keywords:
Additive manufacturing, Hydraulics, Numerical optimisation, Self-supporting structures

Copyright (c) 2025 Jan Bartolj, Rok Jelovčan, Franc Majdič

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