This paper was produced for the 2019 NAFEMS World Congress in Quebec Canada

Resource Abstract

Design and optimization of parts need a huge set of parameters focussing on one or more objective functions. This means several variations need to be simulated and designed mostly by CAD. As a result there is a lot of time spend on creating different models to find an optimized set of parameters e.g. describing the structural behaviour of outer panels or the crash performance of a door cross member. To get the optimization into focus CAD and CAE data have to be linked and simulation process chains need to be automated. But before simulation models have to be reduced and simplified as much as precision allows. This increases the potential in optimization, decreases calculation time and last but not least costs for simulation.



The presentation concentrates on an automated CAx-process, which is based on the parametric-associative combination of the disciplines CAD, CAE, DOE and CAO. This process gives a new opportunity of automating the developing process of stiffening sandwich structures on outer body panels. The focus lies on the serial development and optimization of diverse already known stiffening solutions, which have to be newly dimensioned by comparing them to one another. Hereby the load cases quasi-static normal load with buckling instabilities and the thermal load (solarisation) are taken into account. The development of those CAx-processes is accompanied by different challenges and requires special knowledge of each individual discipline. A concept for managing the models by design tables and their sensible integration in an automated multistage optimization process will be shown. By using the automation of each component in the process and its easy adaptability to new vehicle projects much more variants can be tested and optimized regarding their performance and costs. The simulations are based on the software CATIA, ABAQUS and ISIGHT, but can be easily adapted to other software.