title: Improving the dynamic characteristics of body-in-white structure using structural optimization.
abstract: The dynamic behavior of a body-in-white (BIW) structure has significant influence on the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) and crashworthiness of a car. Therefore, by improving the dynamic characteristics of BIW, problems and failures associated with resonance and fatigue can be prevented. The design objectives attempt to improve the existing torsion and bending modes by using structural optimization subjected to dynamic load without compromising other factors such as mass and stiffness of the structure. The natural frequency of the design was modified by identifying and reinforcing the structure at critical locations. These crucial points are first identified by topology optimization using mass and natural frequencies as the design variables. The individual components obtained from the analysis go through a size optimization step to find their target thickness of the structure. The thickness of affected regions of the components will be modified according to the analysis. The results of both optimization steps suggest several design modifications to achieve the target vibration specifications without compromising the stiffness of the structure. A method of combining both optimization approaches is proposed to improve the design modification process.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Computational and Applied Mechanics (ACAM) Group, Centre for Transportation Research (CTR), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Aizzat S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Yahaya Rashid
authors.affiliation: Advanced Computational and Applied Mechanics (ACAM) Group, Centre for Transportation Research (CTR), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rahizar
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4111-7980
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramli
authors.affiliation: Centre for Automotive Research, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sallehuddin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohamed Haris
authors.affiliation: Proton Professor Office (PPO), Proton Bhd. 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Anuar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alias
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design; D009622:Noise; D014732:Vibration