International Journal of Engineering Research in Electronics and Communication Engineering

Design and Development of Frontal Impact Beam for Passenger Car Using Glass Fibre Epoxy Composite

Author : Om Saurabh ¹ Nitin Ambhore ² Ashok Mache ³

Date of Publication :13th December 2017

Abstract: Automobile bumper is structural component of an automotive vehicle which is designed to prevent or reduce physical damage to the front or rear ends of passenger motor vehicles by absorbing the impact energy and distributing the stress perpendicular to the direction of impact. Beside the role of safety, fuel efficiency and emission gas regulations are being more important in recent years that encourage the manufacturer to reduce the weight of passenger cars. A well-designed car bumper must provide safety for occupant and essential elements of the vehicle and should have a low weight. The aim of this research is to enhance the performance of frontal impact beam (FIB) by optimizing the structural parameter using crash and modal analysis. It is proposed to manufacture FIB using Glass Fiber Epoxy (GFE) Hybrid composite material. New composite is developed to fit the design parameter. The mechanical properties like Young's Modulus, tensile strength and density are obtained by lab testing. Finally, obtained properties of (GFE) Hybrid composite material are used for simulation and modal analysis and results have been verified with existing FIB material. The careful design and analysis of FIB parameters are carried out in order to optimize the strength and reduce the weight. The results shows that material can minimise the bumper beam deflection, impact force and stress distribution and also maximize the elastic strain energy. The analysis was done according to the conditions stated in Indian regulation Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways (Department of Road Transport and Highways), Government of India, and complies with the test condition given by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) norms. In this paper, modeling, meshing and crash analysis are carried out using software CREO, HyperMesh and LS_DYNA Respectively.

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