Investigating the Frontal Crash of a Passenger Car and Effects of Utilizing a Composite Bumper

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Abstract

In the present paper, employing a complete model of a passenger car, contribution of various components and assemblies in the frontal crash energy absorption is determined. Thickness of components with more remarkable contribution is increased to improve the occupant safety. Furthermore, effects of substituting the metallic bumper with one fabricated from GMT materials on the frontal crash behavior of the vehicle are investigated. Boundary condition and dynamic parameters are defined in PAM-CRASH software. To increase the accuracy of the results, all sub-assemblies and their joints are precisely modeled. Finally, components with more remarkable contribution in energy absorption are detected and a comparison is made between the crash results of the original design and the crash results obtained after the mentioned modifications.

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