Abstract
Estimating the vehicle crashworthiness experimentally is expensive and time-consuming. For these reasons, different modelling approaches are utilised to predict the vehicle behaviour and reduce the need for full-scale crash testing. The earlier numerical methods used for vehicle crashworthiness analysis were based on the use of lumped parameters models (LPM), a combination of masses and nonlinear springs interconnected in various configurations. Nowadays, the explicit nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) is probably the most widely recognised modelling technique. Although informative, finite element models (FEM) of vehicle crash are expensive both in terms of man-hours put into assembling the model and related computational costs. A simpler analytical tool for preliminary analysis of vehicle crashworthiness could greatly assist the modelling and save time. In this paper, the authors investigate whether a simple piecewise LPM can serve as such a tool. The model is first calibrated at an impact velocity of 56 km/h. After the calibration, the LPM is applied to a range of velocities (40, 48, 64 and 72 km/h) and the crashworthiness parameters such as the acceleration severity index (ASI) and the maximum dynamic crush are calculated. The predictions for crashworthiness parameters from the LPM are then compared with the same predictions from the FEA.
Highlights
Car accidents are among the major causes of mortality in modern society
The lumped parameters models (LPM) is applied to a range of velocities (40, 48, 64 and 72 km/h) and the crashworthiness parameters such as the acceleration severity index (ASI) and the maximum dynamic crush are calculated
According to the European Standard EN1317-1 [1], a measure of potential injury due to inertia forces during a crash event is the acceleration severity index (ASI), which is calculated from the acceleration measurement at the centre of gravity of the car
Summary
Car accidents are among the major causes of mortality in modern society. In the automotive industry, safety is one of the main design considerations. When there is a progressive collapse of the vehicle structure during a frontal crash, two basic requirements should be fulfilled for preventing death or serious injury to the occupants. The first requirement ensures that occupants do not sustain injuries caused by high inertia forces. According to the European Standard EN1317-1 [1], a measure of potential injury due to inertia forces during a crash event is the acceleration severity index (ASI), which is calculated from the acceleration measurement at the centre of gravity of the car. The second requirement ensures that occupants are not clamped by the car structure during the crash event. To fulfil this requirement, Designs 2018, 2, 43; doi:10.3390/designs2040043 www.mdpi.com/journal/designs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
