Design sensitivity analysis for shape optimization of 3-D electromagnetic devices

A three-dimensional shape optimization algorithm is developed by combining design sensitivity analysis and the boundary element method (BEM). The design sensitivity is derived by implicitly differentiating the boundary integral equation with respect to the design variables. The proposed algorithm is validated by applying it to the pole shape optimization of three-dimensional electromagnets. The objective function has been observed to monotonically converge, and the final optimized shape is obtained within a reasonable number of iterations.<>