Evolutionary optimization of the failure behavior of load introduction elements integrated during FRP sandwich structure manufacturing

Due to their high lightweight potential, fiber-reinforced-plastics (FRP) sandwich structures with foam cores are becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. To accommodate local forces, load introduction elements called inserts are required. A new type of insert is integrated into the sandwich panel during manufacturing. To accelerate the design and development process of these inserts, an optimization framework is developed based on the Abaqus CAE package and the Python programming language. An automated parametric nonlinear finite-element method (FEM) model is used to evaluate the performance of insert geometries. This model is integrated into an optimization routine based on a genetic algorithm. The population-based approach is very scalable through parallelization and shows accurate results within reasonable processing times. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.