Research on Torsional Property of Body-In-White Based on Square Box Model and Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm

In order to assess the performance of a vehicle in the conceptual design stage, a square box model was proposed to predict the torsional stiffness and the first-order torsional frequency of Body-in-White. The structure of Body-in-White was decomposed into eight simple structural surfaces, from which a square box model was constructed. Based on the finite element method, modified shear stiffness of each simple structure surface was calculated and the torsional stiffness was obtained. Then, simple structural surfaces of Body-in-White were constructed into an eight degree-of-freedom series spring system to calculate the first-order torsional frequency. Furthermore, a multiobjective genetic algorithm was used to determine the thickness and structural reinforcement of panels with small stiffness, so as to achieve the goal of increasing the stiffness while reducing the mass of the panel. The result shows that the optimal values of thickness are reduced by around 9.9 percent without affecting their performance by the proposed method. Compared to the prediction results obtained with the complicated numerical simulation, the relative error of the square box model in predicting the torsional stiffness is 6.04 percent and in predicting the first-order torsional frequency is 0.95 percent, indicating that the prediction model is effective.