Optimization of a Fiber Composite B-Pillar
Bernhard Wiedemann, Altair, S. Menzel, Volkswagen Group
Research
Looking at the development in the automotive industry there
is an increasing demand for green engineering. In nearly all
current advertisements and news articles topics like fuel
consumption or carbon dioxide reduction are addressed. To
improve this environmental attributes different approaches
are applied in the product research and development. Major
investigations are dealing with the efficiency of the power
train and alternative technologies like electric powered cars.
Beside this engine related developments another approach is
to reduce the structural mass and hence the fuel consumption
and exhaust transmitted by the car. New light weight methodologies
and materials are used to reduce this structural mass. In
particular composite materials which have been used for a
long time in the aerospace industry show a lot of weight saving
potential compared to the traditional used materials. This
presentation discusses the simulation and optimization of
composite materials with Altair OptiStruct and RADIOSS in
the automotive research and development. For this a B-pillar
is used to point out where current simulation technologies
could be utilized to support the development process of complex
composite structures.
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