Design Enhancements for Automotive Integrated Shell Structures

Abstract

Recent attempt to enhance the safety against collision reshaped the simple shell structures into the integrated complex shell structures. Moreover, due to various regulations continuously tightened for environment protection, weight reduction of automobiles becomes an increasingly important issue. Auto parts lightening is mainly accomplished by more reasonable design, adoption of lighter materials and miniaturization of the auto bodies. Focusing on the locally enhanced design approach among the above three ways, we here attempt to develop a patching optimization method, and also to determine the thicknesses of an integrated shell structure, both bringing a specified amount of stress relaxation. We first select a cross member as a patching optimization model. Based on the finite element stress calculations, we relieve the stress of cross member by patching in two ways-nonuniform thickness patching and optimized uniform thickness patching, the latter of which is more effective in a practical point of view for the preset amount of stress relaxation. Selecting a box type subframe as another finite element analysis model, we then determine the thickness of each part by axiomatic design approach for a preset amount of stress relaxation. The patching methodology and the axiomatic approach adopted in this work can be applied to the other complex shell structures such as center member and lower control arm.