Investigation of opportunities for light-weighting a body-on-frame vehicle using advanced plastics and composites

Park, Chung-Kyu; Kan, Cing-Dao (Steve); Hollowell, William Thomas

Affiliations

¹National Crash Analysis Center, The George Washington University, USA

²WTH Consulting LLC, USA

Abstract

This paper investigates the opportunities for light- weighting a current body-on-frame type vehicle using advanced plastics and composites. In addition, the safety benefits of structural plastics and composites applications in future lighter vehicles are identified and evaluated by frontal impact simulations as part of implementing the plastics and composites intensive vehicle (PCIV) safety roadmap of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The methodology of the study includes two steps: (1) developing a light-weight vehicle based on a current finite element (FE) vehicle using advanced plastics and composites, and (2) evaluating the crashworthiness of the light-weighted vehicle by frontal New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) test simulations. An FE model of a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado, which is a body-on-frame pickup truck, was selected as the baseline vehicle for light- weighting.

By light-weighting components in the Silverado, the vehicle weight was reduced 19%. As a result, the content of plastics and composite in the light-weight vehicle becomes about 23.6% of the total weight of the light-weight vehicle. Frontal NCAP simulations of the light-weighted vehicle show that the light- weighted vehicles using advanced plastics and composites provide equivalent structural performance (intrusion and crash pulse) to the baseline vehicle in the full frontal impact condition. This study demonstrates that (1) using plastics and composites can reduce the vehicle weight efficiently; and (2) the Silverado, light-weighted using advanced plastics and composites, provides equivalent structural performance in the frontal impact condition as the baseline vehicle.

Links

URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv23/23ESV-000023.pdf

Cited Works (7)

Year	Entry
2009	Blum J, Scullion P, Morgan R, Digges K, Kan C-D. Structural attributes of the striking vehicle that control aggressivity toward the struck-vehicle in frontal collisions. In: Proceedings of the 2009 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 9-11, 2009; York, UK.189-199.
2009	Brecher A, Brewer J, Summers S, Patel S. Characterizing and enhancing the safety of future plastic and composite intensive vehicles (PCIVs). In: Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 15-18, 2009; Stuttgart, Germany.
2007	Fisher M, Kolb J, Cole S. Enhancing future automotive safety with plastics. In: Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 18-21, 2007; Lyon, France.
2005	Nusholtz GS, Xu L, Shi Y, Di Domenico L. Vehicle mass, stiffness and their relationship. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.
2003	Summers SM, Hollowell WT, Prasad A. NHTSA’s research program for vehicle compatibility. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2007	Mohan P, Smith DL. Finite element analysis of compatibility metrics in frontal collisions. In: Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 18-21, 2007; Lyon, France.
2001	Summers SM, Prasad A, Hollowell WT. NHTSA’s research program for vehicle aggressivity and fleet compatibility. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.