Structural design for crashworthiness is a challenging area of research due to large plastic deformations and complex interactions among diverse components of the vehicle. Previous research in this field primarily focused on energy absorbing structures that utilize a desired amount of material. These structures have been shown to absorb a large amount of the kinetic energy generated during the crash event; however, the large plastic strains experienced can lead to failure. This research introduces a new strain-based topology optimization algorithm for crash-worthy structures undergoing large deformations. This technique makes use of the hybrid cellular automaton framework combining transient, non-linear finite-element analysis and local control rules acting on cells. The set of all cells defines the design domain. In the proposed algorithm, the design domain is dynamically divided into two sub-domains for different objectives, i.e., high strain sub-domain (HSSD) and low strain sub-domain (LSSD). The distribution of these sub-domains is determined by a plastic strain limit value. During the design process, the material is distributed within the LSSD following a fully-internal-energy-distribution principle. To accomplish that, each cell in the LSSD is driven to a prescribed target or set point value by modifying its stiffness. In the HSSD, the material is distributed to satisfy a failure criterion given by a maximum strain value. Results show that the new formulation and algorithm are suitable for practical applications. The case studies demonstrate the potential significance of the new capability developed for a wide range of engineering design problems.
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ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
August 30–September 2, 2009
San Diego, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Design Engineering Division and Computers in Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4902-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Strain-Based Topology Optimization for Crashworthiness Using Hybrid Cellular Automata
Lianshui Guo,
Lianshui Guo
Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
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Charles L. Penninger,
Charles L. Penninger
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
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John E. Renaud,
John E. Renaud
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
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Andre´s Tovar
Andre´s Tovar
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
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Lianshui Guo
Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
Charles L. Penninger
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
John E. Renaud
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Andre´s Tovar
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Paper No:
DETC2009-86348, pp. 1267-1278; 12 pages
Published Online:
July 29, 2010
Citation
Guo, L, Penninger, CL, Renaud, JE, & Tovar, A. "Strain-Based Topology Optimization for Crashworthiness Using Hybrid Cellular Automata." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 5: 35th Design Automation Conference, Parts A and B. San Diego, California, USA. August 30–September 2, 2009. pp. 1267-1278. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2009-86348
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