Optimization Methodology for Automotive Chassis Design by Truss Frame: A Preliminary Investigation Using the Lattice Approach

The present paper investigates the application of optimization methodologies to vehicle chassis in view of an integrated and transdisciplinary vehicle design. A detailed sizing optimization in cascade to Topology Optimization (TO) for the design of automotive chassis is investigated. This approach is also known as lattice optimization. The TO is employed to find a coarse optimum chassis lay-out under linear elastic conditions. The second stage of the methodology converts into a truss frame the edges of the FE cells, including only the elements that remained above a certain density threshold after TO. The diameter of each truss is then optimized in view of chassis weight reduction while meeting a set of given design requirements, such as maximum stress and minimum size. Various tubular frame architectures for lightweight solutions are considered complying with different sets of constraints over different design spaces. Finally, the balance between the computational cost and the feasibility of the lattice solution is discussed in comparison to TO.