Integrated CAE Simulation for Car Dashboard Design

The behavior of an automotive dashboard has been evaluated using mathematical FEM models in combination with explicit structural codes in accordance with EEC homologation test 78/632. The test simulates the impact of the human head against the dashboard which can occur during a front crash.

The simulation of the impact phenomenon in the basic dashboard configuration was examined as related to a series of design variants elaborated to eliminate critical areas. Variations in the stresses were determined in the component in reference to the basic model.

An indispensable premise to achieving these results was the execution of FEM process simulations aimed at obtaining the actual distribution of the mechanical strength properties, which were weighted according to the localized influence of different temperatures and flow stresses during injection. On the basis of process simulation output data, admissible local strength limits were defined; these limits also took experimental safety coefficients into consideration.

It was therefore considered appropriate to establish these methods as standard tools for formulating the geometric and technological features of similar components.