Development of Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) Bumper Systems to Meet Emerging Performance and Safety Standards

This paper describes the development of an Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) bumper system to meet the requirements of the European pedestrian safety legislation. Information regarding the history of pedestrian safety legislation in Europe is presented. The advantages of EPP as an energy absorbing material for bumper systems are discussed. The paper describes the design approach used during the vehicle development process and shows the importance of CAE (computer aided engineering) as a design tool. Examples of the accuracy that can be obtained with CAE are presented.