Virtual Optimization And Test Validation For Frontal Occupant Restraint System Of A Passenger Car Based On C-NCAP

Frontal vehicle impact is the most common type of vehicle collision accident; it isabout50%of the total vehicle accident account. It is proved that the occupant restraintsystem can effectively reduce the occupant injuries in frontal vehicle impact. Frontoccupant restraint system usually consists of multiple subsystems, including: seat belts,airbags, etc. and the energy-absorbing steering system is also used for driver. Theoccupant restraint system includes a number of parameters, and the relationship betweenthese parameters and occupant injuries is not clear, the performance of the occupantrestraint system will be changed when one of occupant restraint system parameterschange, it makes the occupant injuries changed. So, the occupant restraint system isnon-linear and random.Test and computer simulation are usually used to design the vehicle occupantrestraint system. Test costs a lot of time and money. As the computer technologydevelops rapidly, the computer simulation analysis method plays an important role in thedevelopment of the occupant restraint system. Experiments and computer simulations aremore and more popular recently.Occupant restraint system for a domestic occupant car was developed by using thecomputer simulation and test method to achieve C-NCAP five-star level in the paper. Thesuitable subsystems were selected for the C-NCAP five-star level. The virtual models ofsubsystems were built by Madymo and were verified by tests. The virtual model ofoccupant restraint system which contains auto-body structure, dummy, seat belts, airbag,and steering system, etc. was built. Based on this model, virtual parameters optimizationof occupant restraint system was achieved. The optimization results were verified by theC-NCAP tests.Computer simulation technology was used at the beginning of the occupant restraint system development, then, the optimized parameters were gotten. The optimizationresults were proved by tests. And the suppliers participated in the development ofoccupant restraint system. They provided the range of occupant restraint systemparameter and ensured the performance occupant restraint sub-systems. The omputersimulation technology can reduce the number of tests; it makes the development ofoccupant restraint system to be efficient and reduces the cost.