Application Of Rigid Polyurethane Foam In The Door Trim Panel

Door trim panel is one of the important parts of automotive, it can be used to install avariety of switch panel, storage, etc, but its most important role is using in car security. Whenthe vehicle happen to side collision, passengers will hit the door trim panels by the “secondaryimpact”, but the door trim panels can absorb the collision energy. In addition, the cushioningfoam made by rigid polyurethane in door trim panels can absorb huge energy accounted for ahigher proportion of total energy absorption. So the rigid polyurethane foam are widely usedin door trim panels, and door trim panels become an important part in vehicle passive safety.The use of polyurethane foam in cars is gradually increasing this years. The flexiblepolyurethane foam is used in Auto pillow, instrument panel. The rigid polyurethane foam areusing in bumpers, door trim panels to enhance vehicle safety.In this paper, the finite element method and test methods are used for research. Based onnational standard and the industrial standard of TOYOTA, Honda, study on the energyabsorption performance of rigid polyurethane foam when a passenger impact the door trimpanel at a constant speed.Firstly, based on national standard and the industrial standard of TOYOTA, Honda, thedoor trim collision regions relative to the occupant chest, abdomen and hip are designed. Thequality, material and shape of the impactor are confirmed. Secondly, the finite element modelof the door trim is established based on LS-DYNA and the model parameters of the maincomponents are determined through experiments directly, then the crashworthiness analysis isundertaken based on the established finite element model. Finally, a crashworthiness test ofdoor trim panels is taken to insure its reliability.