Design Optimization of Front Hood Structure for Meeting Pedestrian Headform Protection in an Existing Vehicle

Automotive industry today faces the unprecedented challenges both in terms of adapting to changing customer demands in terms of vehicle aesthetics, features or performance as well as meeting the mandatory regulatory requirements, which are being regularly upgraded and becoming stringent day by day. Vehicle hood, being part of vehicle front fascia, needs to fulfill the requirement of vehicle aesthetics as its primary condition. At the same time, every automobile manufacturer has a lineup of older platforms, which are in production and needs to comply with upcoming stricter safety norms, having a structure in under hood area designed as per older philosophy, which further reduces the space available for energy absorption. This makes the structure optimization in vehicle hood area much more challenging. Pedestrian protection - an upcoming regulation in India, has seen some major development in recent times. Every automotive manufacturer is looking at ways to make their vehicles regulatory compliant at minimal cost, owing to the cost-conscious dynamics prevalent in the Indian market. This paper outlines the case study for meeting the Headform compliance for an existing model range. The constrained environment of keeping the changes in under-hood structure to minimal further makes the case difficult. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the methodology adopted in the existing vehicle (under-hood) structure. The paper discusses the structure and layout optimization of Hood and its peripheral parts for meeting the pedestrian requirements while keeping a check on cost. The paper further discusses the strategies adopted to reduce injury values in critical areas, especially in Hood hinge area maintaining a balance of cost, weight and functional requirements.