Advances in Predictive Engineering Methods for Low Speed Bumper Impacts

The design and development of thermoplastic energy absorber (EA) systems rely heavily upon computer aided engineering methods to minimize the costs of prototyping and late stage design modifications. As these EAs become more broadly implemented in the automotive marketplace, the impact of prototyping and design costs must be addressed.

This paper describes advances in the understanding of low speed bumper impact events and subsequent methods for evaluating those events using predictive dynamic analysis tools. Included are testing and analysis comparisons of impact events exploring the significance of vehicle design elements to the performance of low speed bumper systems.