The field of lightweight design deals with the development of structural components that fulfill their specified function under given boundary conditions with minimal material input/weight. This weight saving has the potential to lead to an improvement in the areas of sustainability, environment and energy, both in manufacturing and in product use.
In addition to analytical design methods, numerical design methods have recently been increasingly used in lightweight design. The core topics of modeling, simulation and optimization are addressed, with the emphasis on optimization. After completing the module, students are able to set up an optimization problem suitable for numerical design. This includes the modeling and simulation of the physical problem, the appropriate description of the optimization parameters, and the selection of a suitable optimization algorithm.
Lecture part: The lecture will contain a mixture of presentation and handwritten explanations. Small calculation examples will illustrate the theory.
Exercise part: The methods presented in the lecture will be applied to concrete examples. Homework will be provided and the results presented by the students in the following practice session. The software Hyperworks Student Edition is required for the exercise tasks. The software is available for free on Windows systems or can be used on location at the institute. Prior knowledge of the software is not necessary.
The format of the course may deviate due to the pandemic.
The performance evaluation is done by two projects in the exercise part and in case of positive evaluation of the submission, an overall grade for the LVA is determined based on a theoretical examination on the lecture material. 40 points can be reached in total. The projects yield up to 8 points each, the oral examination yields up to 12 points and another 12 points can be obtained in a short presentation that is part of the exam. The evaluation of this short presentation happens according to the following scheme:
Content
- Big mistakes in the content or wrong topic. 0 Points
- Content mostly correct and matches topic in most respects. 3 Points
- Content almost completely correct and matches topic exactly. 6 Points
Originality
- The structure adheres exactly to the lecture. 0 Points
- The structure is similar to the one in the lecture but has been rearranged by the student. 2 Points
- Presented content was beyond the scope of the lecture and the student added their own conclusions. 4 Points
Presentation
- The presentation/script is hard to read and the oral presentation was hard to follow. 0 Points
- The presentation had small issues and the oral presentation could mostly be followed. 1 Points
- The presentation was well prepared and the oral presentation was easy to follow. 2 Points
