Automatic lightweight structure derivation for rail vehicles from topology optimization results

Abstract

This paper presents an automated design and development tool, which makes design proposals based on the truss-like results of density-based topology optimizations. The integration of the process chain can accelerate development processes of small and large structures in rail vehicles, as well as other fields of engineering, by automating and thus accelerating the timeconsuming manual process of deriving models from topology optimizations. It helps to achieve lightweight design goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making the rail sector even more sustainable and competitive. The process chain produces a wireframe consisting of points and lines - suitable for parametric designs in computer-aided design (CAD) - and qualified suggestions for cross-sections in the truss structure