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Abstract
Bumper bar systems are important automotive structures to help protect passengers during frontal and rear collisions. This paper presents the outcomes of a numerical modelling study of a simple rectangular cross section bumper bar system using the explicit finite element code LS Dyna for a low velocity (16 km/h) centre pole frontal impact. The study utilises and compares a dual-phase steel (DP600) and two aluminium alloys (A16061T6 and A17108T6). A simple material model using isotropic elastic plastic material behaviour is utilised together with a failure criterion. When the bumper system weight is held constant by reducing the wall thickness of the steel bumper system, both aluminium alloy bumpers outperform the high-strength dual-phase steel.
Acknowledgements
Swinburne University of Technology is a core participant in the CAST Cooperative Research Centre which is established under and is supported in part by the Australian Governments Cooperative Research Centres Programme. Many thanks to Dr Tim Hilditch from Deakin University and Dr Mark Easton from Monash University for their kind assistance and helpful comments in reading the manuscript. The authors would like to thank Advanced Magnesium Technology Pty. Ltd. for their advice and assistance early in the project and Livermore Software Technology Corporation USA for the use of LS Dyna.