Demonstration of the effectiveness of U*-based design criteria on vehicle structural design

Abstract

A basic function of vehicle structures is bearing the load. To design high efficient vehicle structures, it is crucial to know how the applied forces are transferred in the structure. The U* index was introduced as the indicator of the main load path in the structure. U*-based design criteria were developed to promote the ability of the U* index theory for vehicle structural design. However, the effectiveness of these U*-based design criteria on improving the structural performance is still unknown. In this paper, an improved design of a vehicle component was proposed based on the U* governed design criteria. Compared to the original design, the weight of the modified structure is reduced by 10% while the maximum displacement and stress are declined by 5% and 26%, respectively. The paper proves that the application of the U* driven design criteria can effectively increase the structural performance.