Lightweight design of aircraft front wheel fork additive manufacturing based on topology optimization and honeycomb structure

Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) can realize topology optimization and integrated material-structure-function manufacturing of aerospace components, which can significantly improve the performance and promote the innovation of design paradigms. In this paper, taking the front fork of a certain helicopter as an object, for the problem of low material utilization of traditional CNC milling (CNC), combined with topology optimization and honeycomb cellular structure x structural design, based on the selective laser melting process of Ti-6Al-4V (ELI) material, a prototype of a lightweight front fork structure is proposed, and the topology optimization and multi-curvature honeycomb integration in the scaled design domain are completed with the help of Altair Solid Thinking Inspire® software. Altair Solid Thinking Inspire® software served as the tool for implementing the integrated design of topology optimization and multi-curvature honeycomb structures within a scaled design domain. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to assess the mechanical properties of the optimized structure under typical loads, with component manufacturability analyzed in parallel to this evaluation. Test findings show that the optimized titanium alloy structure reduces weight by roughly 25% compared to the original aluminum alloy CNC-machined component, while still fully meeting the specified strength requirements. This study offers practical insights for combining advanced design methods with additive manufacturing technologies, laying a foundation for achieving weight reduction and performance optimization of aerospace components.