Method for Designing and Evaluating Pedestrian Protection Energy Absorbers for Various Car Geometries

This paper discusses a Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) based methodology for designing an injection molded bumper energy absorber to help meet vehicle pedestrian protection requirements.

The development process is described, and an example is presented of its use in designing an injection molded energy absorber for a range of various vehicle styling parameters.

First, an idealized set-up incorporating the car styling parameters critical for pedestrian protection requirements was developed. Then, the vehicle and Energy Absorber (EA) geometries were parameterized and a DFSS process was employed to investigate the design space using Finite Element Impact Analysis with a commercially available Lower Leg Form Impactor.