A New Car-Body Structure Design for High-Speed EMUs Based on the Topology Optimization Method

In recent years, the research and development of high-speed trains has advanced rapidly. The main development trends of high-speed trains are higher speeds, lower energy consumption, higher safety, and better environmental protection. The realization of a lightweight high-speed car body is one of the key features in the development trend of high-speed trains. Firstly, the basic dimensions of the car body’s geometric model are determined according to the external dimensions of the body of a CRH EMU, and the specific topology optimization design domain is selected to establish the finite element analysis model; secondly, the strength and modal analyses of the topology optimization design domain are carried out to check the accuracy of the design domain and provide a comparative analysis for subsequent design. Then, the variables, constraints, and objective functions of the topology optimization design are determined to establish the mathematical model of topology optimization, and the design domain is calculated for topology optimization under single and multiple conditions, respectively. Finally, based on the topology optimization calculation results, truss-type reconstruction modeling is carried out for the car body’s side walls, roof, underframe, end walls, and other parts. Compared with the conventional EMU body structure, the weight of the reconstructed body structure is reduced by about 18%. The results of the finite element analysis of the reconstructed car-body structure prove the reliability and safety of the structure, indicating that the reconstructed car-body scheme meets the corresponding performance indicators.