The scope of the project is to achieve SUV structural performance improvement to meet the offset frontal crash safety requirements as per ECE R 94 Regulation by design modifications in different Sub-systems of the vehicle structure suggested with the help of CAE crash simulations. The study can be classified in four main phases mentioned below.
The first phase of the development is to conduct a crash test and CAE simulation for the baseline design. The second phase includes correlation activity among baseline test and CAE. The third phase is to achieve improvement by vehicle structure design modifications and new parts in chassis and BIW guided with CAE simulations and design iterations. Finally the forth phase deals with validation of new crashworthy vehicle design by last crash test.
Desired performance improvement is checked with the structural parameters mentioned below as per ECE R 94 with some additional parameters and verified by all ATD injury criterions specified in regulation:
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1
Steering Wheel Center Residual Displacement
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2
Dash Steering Column Mount Displacement (Dash Intrusion)
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3
A Post Displacement (Driver Compartment Crush)
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4
Compliance of Door Criteria.
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5
Compliance of Fuel Leakage Criteria.
Design modifications in chassis and BIW carried out by number of simulations contain new cross member and reinforcements, new arrangement of chassis spacers, added features like crush initiators and modifications in some of the existing parts. Paper concludes that modifications have shown improvement ranging from 20% to 50% in above mentioned parameters by showing crash simulation, crash testing, and important points for correlation between them as well as structural design modifications and new features driven by CAE.