On design optimization for structural crashworthiness and its state of the art

Optimization for structural crashworthiness and energy absorption has become an important topic of research attributable to its proven benefits to public safety and social economy. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the important studies on design optimization for structural crashworthiness and energy absorption. First, the design criteria used in crashworthiness and energy absorption are reviewed and the surrogate modeling to evaluate these criteria is discussed. Second, multiobjective optimization, optimization under uncertainties and topology optimization are reviewed from concepts, algorithms to applications in relation to crashworthiness. Third, the crashworthy structures are summarized, from generically novel structural configurations to industrial applications. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations are provided to enable academia and industry to become more aware of the available capabilities and recent developments in design optimization for structural crashworthiness and energy absorption.