Low Speed Bumper System Impact Variation Study

Variation studies are an important part of the product development (PD) process. They help to understand and estimate real-world deviation from design nominal parameters, optimize designs for robustness, reliability, and cost-efficiency. CAE and Virtual tools enable us to simulate a great number of different variation types and capture the full bandwidth of actual field performance - rather than the validation from a limited number of physical tests. In this study, the effects of various factors on vehicle performance during low-speed impacts, utilizing a Design of Experiments (DOE) approach have been investigated through virtual simulation. Low-speed impacts, typically defined as collisions occurring at speeds less than 2.5 mph, are critical for understanding vehicle insurability and compliance with regulatory standards. The factors examined include vehicle impactor position, impact speed, and angle of collision, part thickness variation, material card variation. The DOE methodology allowed for a systematic analysis of these variables and their interactions, providing a comprehensive understanding of their influence on vehicle deformation while minimizing the number of iterations. Results indicate that impact speed significantly affects the extent of deformation, along with thickness of the material variance. These findings are essential for optimizing vehicle design to enhance resistance to damage in low-speed collisions and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The study underscores the importance of considering multiple factors and their interactions in vehicle low speed testing to develop a robust virtual performance prediction methodology under front or rear impact loading.