Design and Optimization of Negative Poisson Ratio Thin-Walled Tube Using Sensitivity-Based Response Surface Model Methodology

Abstract

Under low-speed collision conditions, the thin-walled structures located at the forepart of passenger car act as a significant energy absorber, which can reduce the injury degree of passengers in collision accidents. Therefore, the design of thin-walled structures is particularly important in automobile body development. High stiffness and strength contribute to structural integrity, but the resulting large collision force will be detrimental to occupant safety. To address this issue, the paper proposed a novel negative Poisson ratio thin-walled tube (NPR-TWT). In addition, the second-order sensitivity-based response surface models (SB-RSMs) were established to improve the efficiency of design optimization. Furthermore, the NPR-TWT was optimized by using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) to enhance its comprehensive performance. The results showed that the optimized NPR-TWT could absorb collision energy by sufficient displacement deformation and reduce the peak impact force. It can provide theoretical and practical guidance for the application of thin-walled structures in automobile body safety.