Optimization of circular side door beam for crashworthiness analysis

Abstract

Structural optimization related to crashworthiness and energy absorption capability is particularly importance to the automotive industry. The optimization involves highly nonlinear computational analysis and design with many material and structure parameters. This paper presents a crashworthiness design of the circular side door beam which attach to the side door structures. The response surface method (RSM) is utilized to formulate the complex crashworthiness design problem in the case of optimization. In this study, side door beam will be optimized. The beams in circular shape were studied and compared. The focus is on finding an optimum cross-section shape of the beam in order to improve the energy absorption character. An optimization problem is formulated to find the maximum energy absorbed with the maximum peak load as a constraint, the shape of the beam cross section and the thickness as variable. The structure optimum design and simulation analysis of automobile side-door beam was carried out by using Finite Element (FE) method.