• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.797-804
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• 2012

Magnesium has a long tradition of use as a lightweight material in the field of automotive industry. This paper presents the design optimization process of Mg armrest frame to minimize its weight by replacing the steel frame. formerly, the analysis of steel armrest frame was peformed to determine the design specifications for Mg armrest frame. The initial design of Mg armrest frame was carried out by topological optimization technique. After six types of design variables and four types of response variables were defined, DOE(Design of Experiment) and RSM (Response Surface Method) were applied in order to measure sensitivity of design variables and realize optimization through regression model. After design optimization, the weight of the optimized Mg armrest frame was reduced by about 3% compared to the initial design of the Mg frame and was decreased by 41.7% in comparison with that of the steel frame. Some prototypical armrest frames were also made by die casting process and tested. The results were satisfying for its design specifications.