Design Sensitivity Analysis of Body Structure Using Skeleton Model

This paper presents a technique to build up a body structure approximately optimized with respect to overall static stiffness using beam-only body structure in the early design stage. Beam-only Body in White FEA model for a producing car is built and analytical deformations under bending and torsional loads are correlated well with test results. Following Design Sensitivity Analysis (DSA) enables to choose design variables for improving bending and torsional rigidity. By several turns of DSA, ideal model is attained with ideally changed section properties. Practically applicable design changes are also made to base model.