The purpose of this study is to propose the modular design of hybrid lightweight carbody structures made of sandwich composites and aluminum extrusion. The sandwich composites were used for secondary structures to minimize the weight of carbody and th...
The purpose of this study is to propose the modular design of hybrid lightweight carbody structures made of sandwich composites and aluminum extrusion. The sandwich composites were used for secondary structures to minimize the weight of carbody and the aluminum extrusions were applied to primary structures to improve the stiffness of carbody and manufacturability. Key requirements were defined for the modular design of hybrid carbody and the applied parts of sandwich composites were determined through the topology optimization analysis.
Consequently feasibility of enhancing mass saving and maintainability in modular hybrid carbody design were presented comparing with the carbody structures made of aluminum extrusion or sandwich composites only.