Novel topology optimization method based on adaptive genetic algorithm to improve the hull rust-removal efficiency of a reaction rotating sprinkler

Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) water jetting is commonly used to remove rust from ship hulls. However, few studies have been undertaken to optimize the topology of reaction rotating sprinklers (RRS) using UHP. This work proposes two contributions aimed at optimizing the RRS topology and maximizing the efficiency of rust removal. The first contribution is a novel accumulative impinging-duration model, which can accurately quantify the spiral trajectory density of multiple water jets and provide a practical means to evaluate the feasibility of RRS topology. The second contribution is the development of a new meta-heuristic algorithm called adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA), which offers high-quality solutions for the combinatorial topology optimization problem associated with RRS. The AGA converges significantly faster than the conventional genetic algorithm (CGA) and avoids being trappped at a local optimum. The effectiveness of the proposed topology optimization method is demonstrated through two case studies involving RRS with different model specifications. The AGA significantly increases the utilization ratio of water-jet energy by more than 50.6 %, outperforming CGA. The rust-removal efficiency of AGA-optimized RRS is theoretically predicted by analyzing the maximal translation speed and further validated through field experiments. Results show that the rust-removal efficiency of AGA-optimized RRS for ship hulls is greatly improved, with improvements of over 50 % and 43 % in theoretical and practical verification, respectively. This research introduces a unique quantization method and an efficient optimization algorithm for practical RRS design.