Application of manufacturing constraints to structural optimization of thin-walled structures

Topology optimization can be a very useful tool for creating conceptual designs for vehicles. Structures suggested by topology optimization often turn out to be difficult to implement in manufacturing processes. Presently, rail vehicle structures are made by welding sheet metal parts. This leads to many complications and increased weight of the vehicle. This article presents a new design concept for modern rail vehicle structures made of standardized, thin-walled, closed, steel profiles that fulfil the stress and manufacturing requirements. For this purpose, standard software for topology optimization was used with a new way of preprocessing the design space. The design methodology is illustrated by an example of the topology optimization of a freight railcar. It is shown that the methodology turns out to be a useful tool for obtaining optimal structure design that fulfils the assumed manufacturing constraints.