Validation of Simplified Truck Chassis Model in Different Impact Scenarios

This paper validates a simplified finite element model of a light duty truck chassis which was previously developed. The simplified model is used for different computational crash simulations including full frontal impact, offset frontal impact, and oblique impact. The simulation results are compared with those obtained from a detailed chassis model. Through the comparisons, it is found that the present simplified model can be successfully used in the full frontal and offset frontal simulations. However, the current simplified model still needs to be innovated in order to correctly predict the detailed model’s crash behavior during the oblique impact. The present simplified model’s computational stability, reliability, accuracy, and efficiency are verified in this project.