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Optimization of load floor support system: Topology optimization in early phase development
No full textWeight is major factor for delivering competitive and sustainable products in the automotive
industry. Topology optimization is today a widely used tool in the industry to produce lighter and
optimized components. However, it is most commonly used for high strength structural components
and not for plastic components dealing with lower loads. The thesis has been carried out at the
department Interior Trim at Volvo Cars which deals with a large number of plastic components
which historically have a design driven development process. In an effort to lower weight of their
components and reduce lead times in the development process they are looking towards topology
optimization as a tool in early phase development. This thesis will act as an investigation of how
topology optimization can be used at the department in an effort to work towards a development
process driven by simulations.
The thesis will study topology optimization with a trial case, looking at the load floor supports of an
automobile trunk. The load floor supports, which are located underneath the load floor, distributes
the weight of the load floor to the body-in-white. It is also used to cover the body-in-white and
connect other components. The goal was to develop a methodology for how topology optimization
could be used when optimizing the component in early phase development. Conclusions could
then be drawn of how topology optimization could be implemented at the department from the
trial case. The bulk of the work revolved around how to produce feasible concepts by looking at,
the load cases used, choices made on system level as well as how to work with the volumes and
parameters used in the optimization.
Through the thesis work a methodology has been proposed for how topology optimization could be
approached for components like the load floor supports. The general approach is to first complete
a base optimization, minimizing for compliance with a higher volume fraction constraint than the
targeted one, and a pretty coarse mesh, to see general areas in which material is least needed
and can be removed to drive down computational cost and thereafter allow for a finer mesh to be
used to more accurately depict a thin-walled structure more suitable for injection moulding. It
is however noted that it is hard to actively restrict the thickness of the section created making
structural performance and weight hard to predict. The thesis also resulted in some alternative
ways of using topology optimization, such as making choices on system level and help determining
optimum placements of connection points to the body-in-white.
Noted in the thesis however is that components like the load floor support may not be the ideal
target of topology optimization with the objective of minimizing weight and driving forth concepts
because of the design surfaces. These surfaces are placed on top of the load floor support and are
necessary to cover the body-in-white and connect to other components. To keep these surfaces and
overall appearance limits the solutions and capabilities of topology optimization.
Keywords: Topology Optimization, Structural Optimization, SIMP, Concept Developmen
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