Concept design of vehicle bodies using reduced models of beams, joints and panels

In highly competitive fields, such as the automotive one, the need for simulation tools, available in the initial phases of the development cycle, pushes researchers to develop concept modelling techniques, able to support early design choices. This paper describes a methodology for the concept design of vehicle bodies, based on the use of reduced models of beams, joints and panels. The proposed approach is illustrated by using an industrial case study, where simplified models of beams, joints and panels of the upper region of a vehicle's body are created and validated through full vehicle FE analyses.