Hello,

I happen to be working on a Topology Optimization (TO) problem to minimize the compliance (objective function) using a volume fraction constraint to attain an optimal material distribution on a structure under consideration. I am unable to evaluate the total compliance of the structure after the TO operation is done. I have already plotted the X-Y data table for Strain Energy: ALLSE for whole model using the history output file but the plot does not make sense to me in terms of evaluation of compliance. I am attaching the plot for reference. I am looking to get a sum of the strain energy of elements to acquire total compliance value.

Acc. to my understanding the strain energy varies from 0 at timestep 0 to almost 0.60 at time step 1 in a linear form. How does this imply a minimization of the energy (enhancing stiffness) purely from the plot? It is understandable from the available mathematical equations on strain energy though.