Abstract: A one dimension hybrid cellular automata (ODHCA) model, which can handle the optimization problem of thickness distribution in different area of the tailor rolled blanks (TRB) B-pillar, was proposed to effectively apply the tailor rolled blank into the lightweight design and the crashworthiness design of the vehicle body. The ODHCA model was established and the TRB B-pillar was divided into several one dimensional cells along the rolling direction; the thicknesses of the cells were extracted as the design variables and the local update rules were determined. The thickness distribution constraint function of the design region was defined. The iterative method and convergence criterion of ODHCA was determined according to the characteristics of flexible rolling process. The results show that the intrusion of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis is reduced by 8.8%, 13.4%, and 14.6% respectively in the case of equal mass; while the mass is reduced by 14.2%, those of the above body parts is reduced by 5.8%, 9.6%, and 10.3% respectively. Therefore the method can improve the deformation mode of the B-pillar and the side crashworthiness performance, leading to meet the lightweight requirements.
