Lightweight Optimization Design of a Light Electric Commercial Vehicle Frame

Abstract

Aiming at the weight problem of a light electric commercial vehicle, a lightweight optimization idea is proposed, which is based on the design of the frame structure made of TC4 titanium alloy. Taken the strength, stiffness and stability of the longitudinal beam as the boundary constraints, and the minimum mass of the frame longitudinal beam as the objective function, the mathematical model was established, and the longitudinal beam size was optimized by ant colony algorithm. The influence of different materials on the strength and stiffness of the frame was analyzed from the bending and torsion conditions. The finite element model of the frame before and after optimization was established in ANSYS, and the static conditions before and after optimization were compared and analyzed. The results show that: under the constraint conditions, the frame weight of TC4 material is reduced from 122kg before optimization to 103kg after optimization, which is 15.5% less than that before optimization, and the stress and deformation of the optimized frame meet the service conditions, which has great advantages for reducing the vehicle weight and realizing the lightweight purpose.