Crashing analysis and multiobjective optimization for thin-walled structures with functionally graded thickness

Structural engineering in the automotive industry has moved towards weight reduction and passive safety whilst maintaining a good structural performance. The development of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies has boosted design freedom, leading to a wide range of geometries and integrating functionally-graded lattice structures. This paper presents three AM-oriented numerical optimization methods, aimed at optimizing components made of: i) bulk material, ii) a combination of bulk material and graded lattice structures; iii) an integration of solid, lattice and thin-walled structures. The optimization methods were validated by considering the steering column support of a mid-rear engine sports car, involving complex loading conditions and shape. The results of the three methods are compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions are discussed. The integration between solid, lattice thin-walled structures produced the best results, with a mass reduction of 49.7% with respect to the existing component.

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Quasi-static Axial Crushing Behavior of Thin-walled Circular Aluminum Tubes with Functionally Graded Thickness

Procedia Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.705 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 559-565 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Muhammed Emin Erdin ◽

Cengiz Baykasoglu ◽

Merve Tunay Cetin

Keyword(s):

Functionally Graded ◽

Axial Crushing ◽

Aluminum Tubes ◽

Thin Walled ◽

Crushing Behavior ◽

Graded Thickness

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Multi-Objective Optimization Design of Functionally Graded Foam-Filled Graded-Thickness Tube Under Lateral Impact

International Journal of Computational Methods ◽

10.1142/s0219876218500883 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (01) ◽

pp. 1850088 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hanfeng Yin ◽

Jinle Dai ◽

Guilin Wen ◽

Wanyi Tian ◽

Qiankun Wu

Keyword(s):

Energy Absorption ◽

Wall Thickness ◽

Functionally Graded ◽

Design Parameters ◽

Foam Density ◽

Lateral Impact ◽

Multi Objective Optimization ◽

Foam Filled ◽

Thin Walled ◽

Graded Thickness

Foam-filled thin-walled structure has been widely used in vehicle engineering due to its highly efficient energy absorption capacity and lightweight. Unlike the existing foam-filled thin-walled structures, a new foam-filled structure, i.e., functionally graded foam-filled graded-thickness tube (FGFGT), which had graded foam density along the transverse direction and graded wall thickness along the longitudinal direction, was first studied in this paper. Two FGFGTs with different gradient distributions subjected to lateral impact were investigated using nonlinear finite element code through LS-DYNA. According to the parametric sensitivity analysis, we found that the two design parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], which controlled the gradient distributions of the foam density and the tube wall thickness, significantly affected the crashworthiness of the two FGFGTs. In order to seek for the optimal design parameters, two FGFGTs were both optimized using a meta-model-based multi-objective optimization method which employed the Kriging modeling technique as well as the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II. In the optimization process, we aimed to improve the specific energy absorption and to reduce the peak crushing force simultaneously. The optimization results showed that the FGFGT had even better crashworthiness than the traditional uniform foam-filled tube with the same weight. Moreover, the graded wall thickness and graded foam density can make the design of the FGFGT flexible. Due to these advantages, the FGFGT was an excellent energy absorber and had potential use as the side impact absorber in vehicle body.

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