Numerical Simulation of Interaction Between a Passenger Car Airbag and an Anthropomorphic Dummy Model

Abstract

The paper considers a finite-element numerical simulation of interaction between an airbag and an anthropomorphic dummy model, presenting a case study of a passenger car subjected to oblique frontal impact, as per UN passive safety Regulation no. 94. A system of conservation equations for mass, impulse and energy forms the basis of the simulation. We used a penalty method as a contact algorithm. We investigated three situations: 1) one including the seat belt and the airbag; 2) one including the belt but not the airbag; 3) one including the airbag without the belt. The airbag simulation took into account the specifics of its deployment process and its position within the steering wheel. The seat belt simulation included simplified models of the retracting and locking devices. The computation results showed that our finite-element numerical simulation of interaction between the airbag and the anthropomorphic dummy model makes assessing the test device injury rate possible; absence of either the seat belt or the airbag may result in death due to oblique frontal impacts; if the design only includes an airbag, collisions between the anthropomorphic dummy model and the interior car parts will not be prevented; a design providing both an airbag and a seat belt meets the basic requirements of UN passive safety Regulation no. 94

Please cite this article in English as:

Gonsales Astua A.V., Goncharov R.B., Petyukov A.V. Numerical simulation of interaction between a passenger car airbag and an anthropomorphic dummy model.Herald of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Series Natural Sciences, 2022, no. 4 (103), pp. 4--21 (in Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.18698/1812-3368-2022-4-4-21

References

[1] Zuzov I.V., Zuzov V.N. Improvement of construction of motor car body at the designing stage to satisfy passive safety requirements at offset frontal impact. Herald of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Series Mechanical Engineering, 2013, no. 1 (9), pp. 60--71 (in Russ.).

[2] Goncharov R.B., Zuzov V.N. Problems of finding optimal design parameters of a car bumper under impact from the standpoint of passive safety. Trudy NGTU im. R.E. Alekseeva, 2018, no. 3, pp. 130--136 (in Russ.).

[3] Khusainov A.Sh., Kuzmin Yu.A. Passivnaya bezopasnost’ avtomobilya [Passive car safety]. Ulyanovsk, UlSTU Publ., 2011.

[4] Hallquist J.O. LS-DYNA theory manual. LSTC, 2006.

[5] Zuzov V.N., Sulegin D.A. An investigation of the effect on the energy intensity of the main power elements of the car body in the side impact zone. Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Ser. Mechanical Engineering Industry, 2020, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 20--34 (in Russ.).

[6] Sulegin D.A., Zuzov V.N. An investigation of the effect of a car door reinforcements on passive safety in a side impact. Trudy NGTU im. R.E. Alekseeva, 2021, no. 1 (132), pp. 86--97 (in Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.46960/1816-210X_2021_1_86

[7] Goncharov R.B., Zuzov V.N. Problems of finding the best solutions to ensure the passive safety of the cabins of trucks at a minimum weight. Izvestiya MGTU "MAMI", 2018, no. 4, pp. 92--102 (in Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/2074-0530-66869

[8] Dyubua P.B. Raschet stoykosti k udarnym nagruzkam s pomoshch’yu programmy LS-DYNA. Materialy uchebnogo seminara pol’zovateley LS-DYNA [Calculation of resistance to shock loads using the program LS-DYNA, Proc. Train. Workshop of LS-DYNA users]. Snezhinsk, 2002, p. 62 (in Russ.).

[9] Orlov L.N. Passivnaya bezopasnost’ i prochnost’ kuzovov, kabin, avtotransportnykh sredstv. Metody rascheta i otsenki [Passive safety and strength of bodies, cabins, vehicles. Methods of calculation and evaluation]. Nizhniy Novgorod, NSTU Publ., 2005.

[10] Shaban B.A., Zuzov V.N. Features of wireframe modeling bodies and cabs of cars while investigating passive safety. Nauka i obrazovanie: nauchnoe izdanie [Science and Education: Scientific Publication], 2012, no. 11 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.7463/1112.0486675

[11] Shaban B.A., Zuzov V.N. Features of building finite element models of cabins for passive safety studies under the impact according to UNECE Regulations № 29. Nauka i obrazovanie: nauchnoe izdanie [Science and Education: Scientific Publication], 2013, no. 3 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.7463/0313.0542301

[12] Shmelev A.V., Lisovskiy E.V., Korotkiy V.S. Computer simulation and analysis of commercial vehicle cab passive safety parameters. Aktual’nye voprosy mashinovedeniya [Topical Issues of Mechanical Engineering], 2015, no. 4, pp. 168--173 (in Russ.).

[13] Shaban B.A., Zuzov V.N. Analysis of impact of structural factors on passive safety of truck cabs at a front impact on A-pillars. Nauka i obrazovanie: nauchnoe izdanie [Science and Education: Scientific Publication], 2013, no. 11 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.7463/1113.0636798

[14] Melvin J., Weber K. Task B final report. UMTRI-85-3. Univ. of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 1985.

[15] Lobdell T.E., Kroell C.K., Schneider D.C., et al. Impact response of the human thorax. In: King W.F., Mertz H.J. (eds). Human Impact Response: Measurement and Simulation. Boston, MA., Springer, 1973, pp. 201--245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1502-6_11

[16] Li N. Finite element modeling and simulation of occupant responses in highway crashes. Diss. Dr. Phil. Mech. Eng. Univ. of North Carolina, 2014.

[17] Borrvall T., Ehle C., Stratton T. A fabric material model with stress map functionality in LS-DYNA. 10th European LS-DYNA Conf., 2015. Available at: https://www.dynalook.com/conferences/10th-european-ls-dyna-conference/11developeriiprepost-mapping/03-borrvall-dynamorenordic-p.pdf (accessed: 15.06.2022).

[18] Kotiev G.O., Petyukov A.V., Gonsales Astua A.V. Experimental-theoretical method for studying the vehicle airbag modules functioning. Trudy NAMI, 2021, no. 2, pp. 15--24 (in Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.51187/0135-3152-2021-2-15-24

[19] Hirth A., Haufe A., Olovsson L. Airbag simulation with LS-DYNA past --- present --- future. 6th Europ. LS-DYNA Users’ Conf., 2007. Available at: https://www.dynamore.se/en/downloads/papers/keynote/airbag-simulation-with-ls-dyna-past-2013-present/view (accessed: 15.06.2022).

[20] Wang J., Teng H. The recent progress and potential applications of CPM particle method in LS-DYNA. LS-DYNA Forum, 2010. Available at: https://www.dynamore.de/de/download/papers/forum10/papers/D-III-03.pdf/view (accessed: 15.06.2022).

[21] Belytschko T., Lin J., Tsay C.S. Explicit algorithms for nonlinear dynamics of shells. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng., 1984, vol. 42, iss. 2, pp. 225--251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0045-7825(84)90026-4

[22] Olovsson L. Corpuscular method for airbag deployment simulations in LS-DYNA. Report R32S-1 IMPETU Safe AB, 2007.

[23] Hallquist J.O., Stillman D.W., Hughes T.J.R., et al. Modeling of airbags using MVMA/DYNA 3D. Final Report. LSTC, 1990.