Abstract:

The reasons were analyzed why steering column deformation and pedal deformation exceeded
the standard values in 64km/h positive 40% offset impact. It is because the available space decreases after
changing powertrain, with unreasonable vehicle rail deformation mode and low vehicle cowl strength. An
optimization scheme was proposed including changing the rail material and modifying the strengthening plate
structure of the rail inner to improve the rail assemble strength with strengthening plates added to raise the
cowl strength. Hyperworks and LA-DYNA soft wares were used for simulation analysis. The results show that
the optimization improves the deformation mode, decreases the cowl invasion by about 42mm, and decreases
passenger injuries with the total point increasing by one. Therefore, the structure strengthens occupants'
protection. The results show the reasonability of the optimization scheme.

Key words: automotive safety, frontal crash, vehicle rail, vehicle cowl, vehicle structure optimization