Abstract
This paper presents an extension of our previous work on decomposition-based assembly synthesis, where the 3D FE model of a vehicle body-in-white (BIW) is optimally decomposed into a set of components considering the stiffness of the assembled structure under given loading conditions, and the manufacturability and assemblability of each component. The stiffness of the assembled structure is evaluated by finite element analyses, where spot-welded joints are modeled as linear torsional springs. Manufacturability of a component is estimated by using a cost estimation formula based on the size and complexity of components. Assuming assembly efforts are proportional to the total number of weld spots, assembleability is simply accounted for as the total rate of torsional springs. To allow close examination of the trade off among stiffness, manufacturability, and assemblability, the problem is solved by multi-objective genetic algorithm.
