Multi-objective optimization design of corrugated steel sandwich panel for impact resistance

Abstract

The application of corrugated steel sandwich panels on ships requires excellent structural performance in impact resistance, which is often achieved by increasing the weight without giving full play to the characteristics of the structure. Considering the mechanical properties of sandwich panels under static and impact loading, a multi-objective optimal method based on a back-propa-gation (BP) neural network and a genetic algorithm developed in MATLAB is proposed herein. The evaluation criteria for this method included structural mass, static and dynamic stress, static and dynamic deformation, and energy absorption. Before optimization, representative sample points were obtained through numerical simulation calculations. Then, the functional relationship between the design and output variables was generated using the BP neural network. Finally, a stand-ard genetic algorithm (SGA) and an adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) were used for multi-objective optimization analysis with the established function to obtain the best result. Through this study, a new design concept with high efficiency and reliability was developed to determine the structural parameters that provide the best impact resistance using limited sample points.