Abstract
Crashworthiness design for manufacturing of thin-walled structures remains a main challenge in vehicle industry. Conventionally, there have been two main stream procedures (1) conducting the crashworthiness optimization and manufacturing deign separately in a sequential manner; or (2) neglecting the effects of manufacturing process on final outcomes. Note that most of the energy absorbing members in vehicle body are fabricated by stamping process which likely results in non-uniform thickness, substantial residual strains/stresses especially for high strength steel or advanced high strength steels, etc. Furthermore, the uncertainties of the material properties, stamping process and geometry generally propagate from manufacturing phase to operational phase, likely leading to the uncontrollable fluctuations of crashing responses. In other words, a deterministic optimization could result in unreliable or unstable designs. To address these critical issues, a multiobjective reliability-based design optimization was proposed here to optimize the double-hat thin-walled structure by coupling with stamping uncertainties. First, the finite element analysis results of stamping process are transferred to crashworthiness simulation. As such the uncertainties of material properties, process parameters and resultant geometry can be propagated from forming stage to crashing stage in a non-deterministic context. Second, the surrogate modeling techniques were adopted to approximate the forming and crashing responses in terms of mean and standard deviation. Third, the multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm was employed to seek optimal reliable design solutions which were combined with Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). The optimal results of the double-hat structure show that the proposed method not only significantly improved the formability and crashworthiness, but also was capable of enhancing the reliability of Pareto solutions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bekar D, Acar E, Ozer F, Guler MA (2012) Robust springback optimization of a dual phase steel seven-flange die assembly. Struct Multidiscip Optim 46:425–444
Cannavó F (2012) Sensitivity analysis for volcanic source modeling quality assessment and model selection. Comput Geosci 44:52–59
Chen Z, Qiu H, Gao L, Li P (2013) An optimal shifting vector approach for efficient probabilistic design. Struct Multidiscip Optim 47:905–920
Choi SK, Grandhi R, Canfield RA (2006) Reliability-based structural design. Springer Science & Business Media
Deb K, Pratap A, Agarwal S, Meyarivan T (2002) A fast and elitist multiobjective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II. IEEE Trans Evol Comput 6:182–197
Du X, Chen W (2004) Sequential optimization and reliability assessment method for efficient probabilistic design. J Mech Des 126:225–233
Duan L, Sun G, Cui J, Chen T, Cheng A, Li G (2016) Crashworthiness design of vehicle structure with tailor rolled blank. Struct Multidiscip Optim 53:321–338
Duan L, Xiao N, Li G, Xu F, Chen T, Cheng A (2017) Bending analysis and design optimisation of tailor-rolled blank thin-walled structures with top-hat sections. Int J Crashworthiness 22:227–242
Durrenberger L, Lemoine X, Molinari A (2011) Effects of pre-strain and bake-hardening on the crash properties of a top-hat section. J Mater Process Technol 211:1937–1947
Fang H, Rais-Rohani M, Liu Z, Horstemeyer MF (2005) A comparative study of metamodeling methods for multiobjective crashworthiness optimization. Comput Struct 83:2121–2136
Fang J, Gao Y, Sun G, Li Q (2013) Multiobjective reliability-based optimization for design of a vehicle door. Finite Elem Anal Des 67:13–21
Fang J, Gao Y, Sun G, Zhang Y, Li Q (2014) Crashworthiness design of foam-filled bitubal structures with uncertainty. Int J Non Linear Mech 67:120–132
Fang J, Gao Y, Sun G, Zheng G, Li Q (2015) Dynamic crashing behavior of new extrudable multi-cell tubes with a functionally graded thickness. Int J Mech Sci 103:63–73
Fang J, Sun G, Qiu N, Kim NH, Li Q (2017) On design optimization for structural crashworthiness and its state of the art. Struct Multidiscip Optim 55:1091–1119
Gu L, Yang R (2005) On reliability-based optimisation methods for automotive structures. Int J Mater Prod Technol 25:3–26
Gu X, Sun G, Li G, Mao L, Li Q (2013) A comparative study on multiobjective reliable and robust optimization for crashworthiness design of vehicle structure. Struct Multidiscip Optim 48:669–684
Gümrük R, Karadeniz S (2009) The influences of the residual forming data on the quasi-static axial crash response of a top-hat section. Int J Mech Sci 51:350–362
Hallquist J (2007) LS-DYNA keyword user's manual, version 971 livermore software technology corporation
Hosseini-Tehrani P, Asadi E (2008) Effects of new materials on the crashworthiness of S-rails. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials Design and Applications 222:37–44
Jansson T, Nilsson L, Moshfegh R (2008) Reliability analysis of a sheet metal forming process using Monte Carlo analysis and metamodels. J Mater Process Technol 202:255–268
Jin R, Chen W, Simpson TW (2001) Comparative studies of metamodelling techniques under multiple modelling criteria. Struct Multidiscip Optim 23:1–13
Kim SH (2013) Prehistoric effect of the stamping process on the crash analysis of an automobile under frontal impact. In: Advanced Materials Research. Trans Tech Publ, pp 149–154
Najafi A, Rais-Rohani M (2012) Sequential coupled process-performance simulation and multi-objective optimization of thin-walled tubes. Mater Des 41:89–98
Pan F, Zhu P (2011) Lightweight design of vehicle front-end structure: contributions of multiple surrogates. Int J Veh Des 57:124–147
Pan F, Zhu P, Zhang Y (2010) Metamodel-based lightweight design of B-pillar with TWB structure via support vector regression. Comput Struct 88:36–44
Papadakis L, Schober A, Zaeh MF (2013) Considering manufacturing effects in automotive structural crashworthiness: A simulation chaining approach. Int J Crashworthiness 18:276–287
Park JS (1994) Optimal Latin-hypercube designs for computer experiments. J Stat Plann Inference 39:95–111
Sa CY, Zhu X (2005) Integrating metal forming with other performance analyses using a mapping strategy. SAE Technical Paper
Saliby E (1990) Descriptive sampling: a better approach to monte carlo simulation. J Oper Res Soc 41:1133–1142
Sobol IM (2003) Theorems and examples on high dimensional model representation. Reliab Eng Syst Saf 79:187–193
Sobol’ IM (2001) Global sensitivity indices for nonlinear mathematical models and their Monte Carlo estimates. Math Comput Simul 55:271–280
Song X, Sun G, Li Q (2016) Sensitivity analysis and reliability based design optimization for high-strength steel tailor welded thin-walled structures under crashworthiness. Thin-Walled Struct 109:132–142
Sun G, Li G, Gong Z, Cui X, Yang X, Li Q (2010a) Multiobjective robust optimization method for drawbead design in sheet metal forming. Mater Des 31:1917–1929
Sun G, Li G, Hou S, Zhou S, Li W, Li Q (2010b) Crashworthiness design for functionally graded foam-filled thin-walled structures. Mater Sci Eng A 527:1911–1919
Sun G, Li G, Zhou S, Li H, Hou S, Li Q (2010c) Crashworthiness design of vehicle by using multiobjective robust optimization. Struct Multidiscip Optim 44:99–110
Sun G, Li G, Gong Z, He G, Li Q (2011) Radial basis functional model for multi-objective sheet metal forming optimization. Eng Optim 43:1351–1366
Sun G, Fang J, Tian X, Li G, Li Q (2015) Discrete robust optimization algorithm based on Taguchi method for structural crashworthiness design. Expert Syst Appl 42:4482–4492
Sun G, Pang T, Fang J, Li G, Li Q (2017a) Parameterization of criss-cross configurations for multiobjective crashworthiness optimization. Int J Mech Sci 124:145–157
Sun G, Zhang H, Fang J, Li G, Li Q (2017b) Multi-objective and multi-case reliability-based design optimization for tailor rolled blank (TRB) structures. Struct Multidiscip Optim 55:1899–1916
Sun G, Zhang H, Fang J, Li G, Li Q (2017c) A new multi-objective discrete robust optimization algorithm for engineering design. Appl Math Mod https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2017.08.016
Sun G, Zhang H, Lu G, Guo J, Cui J, Li Q (2017d) An experimental and numerical study on quasi-static and dynamic crashing behaviors for tailor rolled blank (TRB) structures. Mater Des 118:175–197
Wang W, Sun X, Wei X (2015) Integration of the forming effects into vehicle front rail crash simulation. Int J Crashworthiness 21:1–13
Wei L, Yuying Y (2008) Multi-objective optimization of sheet metal forming process using Pareto-based genetic algorithm. J Mater Process Technol 208:499–506
White M, Jones N (1999) Experimental quasi-static axial crushing of top-hat and double-hat thin-walled sections. Int J Mech Sci 41:179–208
Xiao N, Li Y, Yang Y, Yu L, Huang H (2014) A novel reliability method for structural systems with truncated random variables. Struct Saf 50:57–65
Xiao Z, Fang J, Sun G, Li Q (2015) Crashworthiness design for functionally graded foam-filled bumper beam. Adv Eng Softw 85:81–95
Xu F, Sun G, Li G, Li Q (2013) Crashworthiness design of multi-component tailor-welded blank (TWB) structures. Struct Multidiscip Optim 48:653–667
Zabaras N, Ganapathysubramanian S, Li Q (2003) A continuum sensitivity method for the design of multi-stage metal forming processes. Int J Mech Sci 45:325–358
Zheng G, Pang T, Sun G, Wu S, Li Q (2016) Theoretical, numerical, and experimental study on laterally variable thickness (LVT) multi-cell tubes for crashworthiness. Int J Mech Sci 118:283–297
Ziha K (1995) Descriptive Sampling in Structural Safety. Struct Saf 17:33–41
Zou W, Zhu Y, Chen H, Zhang B (2011) Solving multiobjective optimization problems using artificial bee colony algorithm. Discret Dyn Nat Soc 6(2):182–197
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (51575172), the Open Fund of Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Automobile Safety Technology (2009E10013) and the Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing for Vehicle Body (31615001). Dr. Guangyong Sun is a recipient of Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) in the University of Sydney.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix: brief of the Sobol’s method
Appendix: brief of the Sobol’s method
In this study, the global sensitivity analysis (GSA), i.e., Sobol’s method (Sobol 2003, 2001), was employed to quantify the influences of input parameters on output responses. Brief description of the Sobol’s method was provided as follows for the completeness of this paper.
The quadratic integral function g(x) can be expressed in a functional Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) form (Sobol 2003, 2001):
where \( {\int}_0^1{g}_{i_1,{i}_2\dots {i}_t}\left({x}_{i_1},\dots, {x}_{i_t}\right){dx}_k=0,\kern0.5em k={i}_{1,2,\dots, {i}_t.} \)
The g i (x i ) represents the main responses and g ij (x i , x j ) is regarded to be the first-order interaction effects. The total number of summands in (9) is 2n. Squaring (9) and integrating over the n-dimensional unit hypercube, the following equation can be obtained:
where D is the total variance of g(x) and \( {D}_{i_1\dots {i}_s} \) is the partial variance in the response due to concurrent change of factors i 1 to i s.
According to (9) and (10), the first-order and kth-order sensitivity indices and the total sensitivity index for the ith design variable can be defined as (Sobol 2001):
where S -i is the sum of all the \( {S}_{i_1\dots {i}_s} \) terms which do not include the ith variable. The first-order sensitivity index represents the main effect of a design variable and higher-order sensitivity indices can capture the effects of interactions among the design variables. In general, the relative importance of different design variables can be thus obtained by ranking each variable based on its respective total sensitivity index (Cannavó 2012).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sun, G., Zhang, H., Wang, R. et al. Multiobjective reliability-based optimization for crashworthy structures coupled with metal forming process. Struct Multidisc Optim 56, 1571–1587 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-017-1825-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-017-1825-y