Shape Optimization of Damping Liners on Vibrating Panels

This paper present a methodology to achieve three dimensional shape optimization of damping liners attached to vibrating panels. It is the initial stage of the development of a flexible CAE design tool to optimize such liners in automotive panels. Noise, vibration and harshness are critical aspects in modern vehicle refinement and passenger perception of quality. Vibration from engine, powertrain and road sources are transmitted through the vehicle structure and excite body panels that add to the tactile vibrations felt by passengers and the noise level. To reduce this, damping materials are commonly attached to panels as uniform layers to absorb and dissipate vibration energy. A redistribution of damping material based on the dynamic response characteristics of the panels constitutes a more efficient damping treatment which would save costs and reduce overall weight. To achieve this in an efficient manner, a CAE approach is used where thickness can be continuously varied and commercial FEA package ABAQUS is used to evaluate the dynamic response. A genetic algorithm is written in python to control the variables and arrive at an optimum configuration. The approach is demonstrated on a simple panel.