Discrete Optimization Design of Tailor-Welded Blanks (TWBs) Thin-Walled Structures Under Dynamic Crashing

摘要

Tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) thin-walled structures have been widely applied in field of automotive and construction due to their significant advantages in saving weight and improving crashworthiness. To further understand and improve crashing performance of TWB structures, this paper conducts parametric analysis and optimization design on TWB thin-walled tubes. Firstly, the numerical model of dynamic crashing event of different TWB tubes is derived from physical experiments. The parametric analysis results show that the material and thickness combinations have significant effects on the crashing performance. The energy-absorbed characteristics and deformed modes of TWBs are superior to those of tubes with uniform thickness. Then, two optimization cases of TWB tubes are presented through analysis of mean (ANOM) and updating orthogonal array, in which the thickness property and material types are considered as design variables. The results demonstrated that the performances of the optimized structure are much better than those of the initial counterpart.