Topology optimization for crashworthiness of cyclic symmetric isosceles under dynamic response constraints

Abstract

According to the characteristics of the cyclic ring structure, this paper deals with a topology optimization method based on the dynamical Hertz contact theory to simulate the material distribution. A piecewise linear plasticity material model is utilized by considering the relative design of materials as design variables. Using the cellular automata unit state information to update the design variables, the Hertz contact theory is employed to determine the angle of the design domain substructure. The number of substructures within the structure of the suction to the maximum is considered as the optimization objective function. Through exploiting the method presented in this article, the topology optimization configurations of the cyclic ring structure with different mass fractions are verified with the results of the finite element approach and thereafter the crashworthiness simulation analyses are performed. The results show that the topology optimization problems of crashworthiness of cyclic structures can be suitably solved by using the proposed method.

Keywords:

• Cyclic symmetric isosceles
• topology optimization
• Hertz theory
• variable density method
• rotating barrel

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to thank the Large Structural Crash Testing Laboratory in Changsha University of Science and Technology for its support.

Additional information

Funding

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51675059), Key Research and Development Project of Science and Technology Plan of Hunan Province (No. 2019SK2174), Postgraduate Scientific Research Innovation Project of Hunan Province (No. CX20190641).