Optimal design of box-section sandwich beams subject to moving load

Minimum weight designs of sandwich beams subject to moving load are performed as a function of prescribed load index, where the stiffness and strength constraints are both considered. The dynamic properties of sandwich beams are detected and validated through finite element simulation. Five different topologies are optimized and compared. Numerical results show that the topology of a hollow tube with sandwich walls comprising a lattice tetrahedral truss core is the most weight efficient, whereas the topology of a hollow tube with monolithic walls and a foam-filled core is the heaviest. The failure mechanisms that govern the optimal designs are also evaluated. The optimal results exhibit great sensitivity to the load moving velocity when it approaches the critical velocity of the sandwich beams. The optimization for sandwich beams under three-point bending is implemented for comparison and special dynamic characteristics of sandwich beams subject to moving load are discovered.