This paper introduces an efficient holistic approach to the design optimization of lightweight structures of braided fiber-reinforced plastic material. The approach aims to mitigate the paradox of making design decisi...This paper introduces an efficient holistic approach to the design optimization of lightweight structures of braided fiber-reinforced plastic material. The approach aims to mitigate the paradox of making design decisions at early development phases, when necessary information is incomplete or lacking detail so as to properly make these decisions. However, expert knowledge is available and though it is imprecise in nature, it can compensate to create useful models. Manufacturing effort for the braiding process has been described by information accumulated via interviews with braiding experts. This information is then modelled using the soft-computing approach by fuzzy-rule-based systems. The resulting models can further be efficiently integrated into the structural design optimization process. A multidisciplinary design optimization is facilitated considering several aspects including manufacturing effort and structural mechanics, which can be used in early design phases leading to more holistic designing and, thereby, unlocking lightweight and cost-reducing potentials. Benefits of this method, including viability and ease of implementation, are proven by investigations on two academic test problems before advancing to the challenging automotive engineering design problem of the roadster A-pillar.展开更多
文摘This paper introduces an efficient holistic approach to the design optimization of lightweight structures of braided fiber-reinforced plastic material. The approach aims to mitigate the paradox of making design decisions at early development phases, when necessary information is incomplete or lacking detail so as to properly make these decisions. However, expert knowledge is available and though it is imprecise in nature, it can compensate to create useful models. Manufacturing effort for the braiding process has been described by information accumulated via interviews with braiding experts. This information is then modelled using the soft-computing approach by fuzzy-rule-based systems. The resulting models can further be efficiently integrated into the structural design optimization process. A multidisciplinary design optimization is facilitated considering several aspects including manufacturing effort and structural mechanics, which can be used in early design phases leading to more holistic designing and, thereby, unlocking lightweight and cost-reducing potentials. Benefits of this method, including viability and ease of implementation, are proven by investigations on two academic test problems before advancing to the challenging automotive engineering design problem of the roadster A-pillar.
