Seat Design Parameters and Its Influence on Performance Metrics of FMVSS 202a Back Set Retention Test

Automotive Seat design is driven by various design factors considering occupant safety, occupant comfort, road visibility etc. Seats are generally a combination of structural frames, foams, suspension wires, adjustment mechanisms etc. to support safety, comfort & road visibility. Most of the regulatory tests on seats are related to safety which demands structural integrity of seat frames, welds and bolts etc. And few tests demand occupant comfort and seat functionality involving foams, suspension wires & adjustment mechanisms. There are few tests which needs design consideration on all seat components discussed above. FMVSS 202a Back Set Retention is one among them. It is a static test with multiple loads in sequence of loading and unloading steps on the seat back and head restraint. Stiffness of the foams, lumbar mats, seat adjustment mechanisms, seat frames contribute a lot to meet performance targets set by the regulation. This technical paper discusses various design factors, their contribution & relationship which would influence the performance targets of FMVSS20a Back Set Retention. With the help of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering), multiple iterations are done to study the different design parameters, their contribution and relationship.