A methodology for the concept design of beam-like structures, joints and panels in a vehicle body FE model has been presented in this paper. An industrial case study has been analysed to demonstrate the proposed approach. The original mesh of 10 beam-like members, four joints and three panels from the front-upper part of the vehicle body has been replaced by equivalent beam elements, joint super-elements and coarse panels, respectively. Two static load cases and a modal analysis case were used to compare the original and the concept models in terms of full-vehicle static stiffness and dynamic behaviour in the range of low-middle frequencies. In both cases, a good correlation between the simplified and the original models has been obtained, which proves the feasibility of a stand-alone beam-joint-panel replacement layout for static FE analyses. The quantitative results described in this paper, in fact, are well in line with OEM requirements for concept modification predictions in an early design stage, which confirms that the proposed approach can be used as a valid tool also in the initial phases of the vehicle design process. The final goal of this research is to enable a fast concept optimisation of the vehicle body. The stiffness properties of concept beams and joints can be easily modified to improve functional performance of the full vehicle, which is not directly possible on the complex-shaped cross sections of the original shell mesh. It is still to be solved the inverse problem, which can be formulated as follows: given the optimal stiffness and mass properties of concept beams and joints, the 3D CAD model of those components is to be created in such a way that the NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) behaviour of the new detailed model matches with the one of the optimised concept models of the vehicle. This is the main direction where the research presented here is moving.
Concept design of vehicle bodies using reduced models of beams, joints and panels
International Journal of Vehicle Design ; 57 , 1 ; 71-83
2012
13 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 3 Tabellen, 25 Quellen
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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