Topology Optimization of Metal and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Laminated Battery-Hanging Structure

Abstract

This study addressed the topology optimization of a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminated battery-hanging structure of an electric vehicle. To accommodate parameterization for thickness and orientation of CFRP materials, the discrete material and thickness optimization (DMTO) technique was adopted. To include metal material as a reinforcement structure into the optimization simultaneously, the DMTO technique was extended here to achieve concurrent optimization of CFRP thickness topology, CFRP orientation selection and the topology of the metal reinforcement plate. Manufacturing constraints were applied, including suppressing intermediate void across the thickness direction of the laminate, contiguity constraint and the symmetrical layers. Sensitivities of the objective function were derived with respect to design variables. To calculate analytical sensitivities, finite element analysis was conducted and strain vectors were exported from a commercial software (ABAQUS) into a mathematical analysis tool (MATLAB). The design objective was to minimize the local displacement subject to the constraints of manufacturing and mass fraction. The mechanical performance of the optimized CFRP structure was compared with the original steel structure. To validate the optimization results, a prototype of the CFRP battery-hanging structure was fabricated and experimental testing was conducted. The results show that the total mass of the CFRP battery-hanging structure was reduced by 34.3% when compared with the steel one, while the mechanical property was improved by 25.3%.

Topology Optimisation in Structural Steel Design for Additive Manufacturing

“…At a coarser scale, construction composite materials can also be enhanced under the assistance of TO. That is the case of the types of cement with an enclosure of rubber waste [515] or Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) [516].…”

Development of Low-Shrink Epoxy Putty to Solve Appearance-Quality Defects of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Automotive Exterior Parts

“…However, during the compression molding process involved in their manufacturing, inhomogeneous heat transfer and resin flow frequently lead to the formation of structural voids [11]. These voids can deteriorate both the surface quality and mechanical properties [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Although the formation of voids during the resin-transfer molding process can be reduced by controlling the curing process, the rate of resin impregnation, and the direction of resin flow [20][21][22][23][24], the complete elimination of such voids is crucial for aesthetic purposes and for maintaining the quality of the coating.…”