Media type: E-Article Title: Procedures for finding optimal layouts of vehicle components with respect to durability Contributor: Eschenauer, Hans A.; Idelberger, Horst; Bieker, Guido; Rottler, Andreas; Weinert, Matthias imprint: Wiley, 2007 Published in: GAMM-Mitteilungen Language: English DOI: 10.1002/gamm.200790021 ISSN: 0936-7195; 1522-2608 Keywords: Applied Mathematics ; General Physics and Astronomy ; General Materials Science Origination: Footnote: Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>When designing complete systems or system components, it is of vital importance for the manufacturers to optimally fulfill the continuously increasing demands pertaining to safety, durability, reduction of energy consumption, noise reduction, improvement of comfort, accuracy, etc. This applies to all types of traffic and transportation systems like rail vehicles, automobiles, airplanes and ships. By combining structural analysis and simulation methods with optimization algorithms, required specifications can be met faster and more reliably, and hence the production development cycles can be substantially reduced. This paper shall give an overview on results of a method with the features of a damage approximation as precisely as possible on the one hand and, on the other hand, a load‐time history with few different load cycles so that a nonlinear calculation can be performed in the shortest possible time. Simulations with rigidly and elastically modeled components like bogie frames or carbodies show that depending on the type of modeling substantial differences may occur with respect to dynamic behavior and the interaction quantity between the bodies. This aspect has to be taken into consideration for quantitatively sufficient fatigue strength and durability calculation. Mathematical optimization procedures are in general an efficient tool to guarantee the optimal fulfillment of all required design objectives and constraints in all stages of the design process. Some of the procedures are illustrated at two examples (bogie frame, carbody). (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)</jats:p>