Title: Investigation of car body structural optimization method

Authors: S. Nishio, M. Igarashi

Addresses: Analysis Department, Automobile Testing Division, Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd, Hamamatsu-Nishi, P.O. Box 1, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken 432-91, Japan. ' Analysis Department, Automobile Testing Division, Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd, Hamamatsu-Nishi, P.O. Box 1, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken 432-91, Japan

Abstract: The Suzuki optimisation system has been developed to investigate a lightweight vehicle subject to constraints on displacement and eigenfrequency in a simple model. The application of the system to several vehicles with different structures in their early design stage demonstrated that a reduction in structural weight was achievable under most design constraints. As a result, the future applicability of the system over the optimisation of vehicle body structure was confirmed to a certain extent.

Keywords: finite element method; FEM; optimum design analysis; sensitivity analysis; structural analysis; optimisation; lightweight vehicles; modelling; vehicle design; vehicle body structures.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1990.061609

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1990 Vol.11 No.1, pp.79 - 86

Published online: 26 May 2014 *

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