Gauge sensitivity methods for assessing and mitigating buckling effects present in vehicle structures Online publication date: Sat, 13-Aug-2022
by Shengyong Zhang
International Journal of Vehicle Design (IJVD), Vol. 88, No. 1, 2022
Abstract: One approach for improving fuel efficiency involves thickness reduction in sheet metal panels of a vehicle's body. However, thickness reduction adversely affects structure stiffness, especially in the presence of buckling. It is imperative to ascertain the buckling effect on structural efficiency of any vehicle design. At a global level, gauge sensitivity evaluates the stress uniformity in a vehicle structure and provides profound insight to its structural efficiency. This paper revises the gauge sensitivity index to incorporate the buckling effect. It has been derived that onset of local buckling will increase the stress non-uniformities and manifest as an increase in gauge sensitivity values. At a local level, gauge sensitivity distributions reveal the regions in a structure where local buckling is present. Case studies demonstrate the applications of local gauge sensitivity distributions in identifying good regions for stiffening to mitigate buckling effect and optimise vehicle structures relative to weight and stiffness.
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