Continuous Simulation of Automobile Running and Crash Using a Finite Element Method

Vehicle's dynamic pre-crash state and associated occupant motion may influence the damage and injury of traffic accidents. Therefore it is important to simulate phenomena before and after impact continuously in order to analyze the damage mechanisms of traffic accidents. In this study, a finite element vehicle model that can simulate both running and crash is developed and verified by some experimental results, and the methods to speed up and stabilize computation that enable continuous simulation are developed and compared with conventional methods. A numerical example that simulates a real traffic accident situation is also shown.