Jute-Polyester Trim as a Novel Vehicle Upper Interior Head Impact Safety Countermeasure

A significant fraction of annual global human mortality is caused by severe head injuries resulting from vehicle crashes. In order to ensure upper interior head impact safety in vehicles, stiff upper body pillars are covered with plastic trims often along with internal countermeasures such as fin-type monolithic ribs. In the study being reported here, a consistent Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) procedure employing explicit nonlinear finite element analysis has been demonstrated for predicting headform impact safety of a steel A-pillar component covered with a novel jute-polyester trim. Using simulation as mentioned combined judiciously with test data and physical reasoning, a number of jute-polyester trim configurations are considered by varying the number of jute plies, and packaging space between trim and A-pillar inner panel. Additionally, jute-polyester trims with internal ribs are considered. The current study reinforces the potential of a jute polymer composite as a vehicle head impact safety countermeasure.