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Application of the engineering design optimization methods and tools to the design of automotive body‐in‐white (BIW) structural components made of polymer metal hybrid (PMH) materials is considered. Specifically, the use of topology optimization in identifying the optimal initial designs and the use of size and shape optimization techniques in defining the final designs is discussed. The optimization analyses employed were required to account for the fact that the BIW structural PMH component in question may be subjected to different in‐service loads be designed for stiffness, strength or buckling resistance and that it must be manufacturable using conventional injection over‐molding. The paper demonstrates the use of various engineering tools, i.e. a CAD program to create the solid model of the PMH component, a meshing program to ensure mesh matching across the polymer/metal interfaces, a linear‐static analysis based topology optimization tool to generate an initial design, a nonlinear statics‐based size and shape optimization program to obtained the final design and a mold‐filling simulation tool to validate manufacturability of the PMH component.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and analyse computationally a new concept for mechanical interlocking between metal and plastics. The approach utilizes some of the ideas used in the spot‐clinching joining process and is appropriately named “clinch‐lock polymer metal hybrid (PMH) technology.”

A new approach, the so‐called “direct‐adhesion” PMH technology, is recently proposed Grujicic et al. to help meet the needs of automotive original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers for a cost‐effective, robust, reliable PMH technology which can be used for the manufacturing of load‐bearing body‐in‐white (BIW) components and which is compatible with the current BIW manufacturing‐process chain. Within this approach, the necessary level of polymer‐to‐metal mechanical interconnectivity is attained through direct adhesion and mechanical interlocking.

In an attempt to fully assess the potential of the clinch‐lock approach for providing the required level of metal/polymer mechanical interlocking, a set of finite‐element based sheet‐metal forming, injection molding and structural mechanics analyses is carried out. The results obtained show that stiffness and buckling resistance levels can be attained which are comparable with those observed in the competing injection over‐molding PMH process but with an ∼3 percent lower weight (of the polymer subcomponent) and without the need for holes and for over‐molding of the free edges of the metal stamping.

The paper presents a useful discussion of clinch‐lock joining technology's potential for fabrication of PMH load‐bearing BIW components.